Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546491
A political nuclear bomb explod- ed in my country on Wednes- day as I was drinking beer with Romanian friends in Teresa, an open-air bar, in Bucharest. I had just told them the verdict on the Daphne Caruana Gali- zia case was imminent and that most people following the case in Malta, myself included, ex- pected the business tycoon ac- cused of being the mastermind was to be found guilty. I told them about the taped conversations between mid- dleman Melvin Theuma and Yorgen Fenech which captured discussions regarding financial pay-outs and the murder, which prosecutors argued proved Fenech directly funded the crime. They all had heard about Daphne as do most informed people in Europe. But a few minutes later I felt shell shocked by the two 8 -1 not guilty verdicts. I could not help but to go on a rant about how the rich and powerful always end up evading justice, and that as things stand nobody will be found guilty for ordering the murder. Someone remarked it sounds like a Russian mafia killing. Of course, others remarked that Romania also has problems with well-connected oligarchs as do many other countries. Still, it was hard to explain the Maltese particularities including how many privately cheered her assassination and even went as far as clearing her memorial of flowers. And that although I was no big fan of Daphne's antics in her life, I was emotionally distraught at her second assassination by a justice system which failed us. The day after, as I was strolling in the fresh mountainous air of Sinai, one or my editors called asking whether I can write a piece on the political ramifica- tions of the acquittal. I was tempted to just say no, that I am shocked but not lucid enough to write, torn between a holiday I was really enjoying and the anger at a verdict which keeps Malta suspended without closure. On the train back to Bucharest from Sinai I decided to jot some reflections. First of all, this outcome is only a positive one for the perpetrators of the mafia style assassination and that eco- system exposed in the trial: well-connected web of people in business, politics and or- ganised crime. In short it sends the message that no one can touch them. It is perfectly possible the ju- rors were themselves confused by the antics of this same net- work and we're unable to deter- mine who pulled the strings. That is why if Robert Abela is really interested in a legacy, he would immediately legislate to regulate lobbying, communica- tion and gifts between business people and politicians. He would also strengthen laws meant to penalise those who engaged in criminal conspiracies, attempts at state capture and oligarchy. I doubt whether there is any political will for this. Had Fenech been found guilty, the Labour Party would have been vindicated in saying that despite everything, justice was served. Instead, nine years after the murder we still have nobody condemned for issuing the or- der to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia. Moreover, the case ex- posed deficiencies in the initial police investigation which made the task of the defence easier. In- stead of any political reckoning there is now a new found enthu- siasm for the rule of law simply because it failed. Joseph Muscat, the former prime minister also invites us to respect the rule of law and even questions the timing of the pub- lic inquiry which he had ordered under duress and pressure. He has no qualms on the dark ecosystem which flourished in his own offices. Even the Nation- alist Party seems unprepared for the unexpected outcome which further perpetuates the split be- tween elements which see the corruption issue and the Daph- ne Caruana Galizia conundrum as electoral liabilities, and those who want to finish what Daphne started. Yet even before the verdict, some were carried away by the defence lawyer's narrative which shifted the blame from Yor- gen Fenech to Keith Schembri, even if there is no evidence link- ing him to murder, and even if his role in the alleged cover up needs to be established and pe- nalised. Yet the reality is that Yorgen Fenech's acquittal does not mean that Schembri will be prosecuted for murder simply because the only tangible proof were the recordings incriminat- ing Fenech. The verdict was also disheart- ening for civil society. The feeling of frustration on social media was palpable, with even determined leaders like Andre Callus saying that for the first time ever he considered leaving Malta. Still necessity is the mother of invention. Let's hope the verdict spurs a civil society awakening. One which is less like an anti-la- bour crusade and more like a movement which fights oligar- chy and its tentacles, while sav- ing the country from those who have hijacked it. James Debono I was in Romania. Then, a political nuclear bomb exploded in my country Senior journalist The verdict was also disheartening for civil society. The feeling of frustration on social media was palpable, with even determined leaders like Andre Callus saying that for the first time ever he considered leaving Malta maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 YORGEN FENECH TRIAL Daphne Caruana Galizia's memorial in Valletta on the day the verdict of Yorgen Fenech was announced (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)