Maltese Billionaire Casino Owner To Stand Trial On Murder Charges

Yorgen Fenech

Yorgen Fenech should spend the rest of his life in prison says Malta’s attorney general after the businessman was finally indicted on complicity to murder Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia back in October 2017.

Victoria Buttigieg the attorney general has laid formal charges to Fenech over the murder after almost four years after the leading businessman in Malta who through his company the Tumas Group own among other interests the largest tower in Malta and also operates the Hilton Hotel and the Portomaso Casino and Marina.

Back in November 2019 Fenech was arrested for trying to escape justice by trying to leave Malta on his yacht and ever since then legal arguments and delays have complicated and slowed the process until now.

But now the indictment means he will stand trial for conspiracy to plan murder against who was the leading criminal investigating journalist in Malta, that of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Galizia had investigated the Tumas Group and Fenech and had identified him as the owner of the named 17 Black, a shadowy company that had links to high powered political leaders in Malta through payments made.

At the time of her death she was investigating the controversial deal regarding a new power station that Fenech was one of the main shareholders in, but during that time a car bomb was placed under her vehicle and she was murdered in October 2017.

Her death sent shockwaves through Malta and even European leaders were concerned that Malta was descending into a rogue state.

It is not known when Fenech will actually stand trial for his alleged crimes but it is at last a move to redeem Malta from what was a very dark time.