Malta: Convicted bomb suppliers lose appeal over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder
The undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations welcome the confirmation of guilty verdicts handed to Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, the two men who supplied the bomb used to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017.
23 January 2026
On 21 January, the two gang members lost their attempt at the court of appeal to overturn their convictions. Both men are serving life imprisonment after being found guilty in June 2025 of procuring the military grade explosives and providing them to the hitmen who executed the murder of the journalist.
The pair unsuccessfully argued their convictions and sentences should be quashed due to claims of alleged juror misconduct, allegedly prejudicial pre-trial publicity, and the credibility of the key state witness. The Court of Appeal dismissed all these arguments.
The confirmed sentences of life imprisonment solidifies an important step forward for justice and represents another important victory in the fight against impunity, which our organisations jointly hope will further strengthen the case against the alleged mastermind. Five individuals have been found guilty of participating in the killing.
The alleged mastermind, Yorgen Fenech, a powerful Maltese businessman, is awaiting trial. Fenech was released on bail in February 2025 and successfully argued for a court order restricting reporting on his legal proceedings.
Our organisations continue to closely monitor the legal process and reaffirm our continued support for Daphne’s family and their legal team in the ongoing fight for full and uncompromising justice.
We hope that all those involved in the killing will soon be behind bars and some of our organisations intend to be in Valletta to hear the announcement of the verdict. Nothing but full justice for Daphne’s brutal murder will suffice.
This statement was coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
