Two brothers were sentenced on Friday to 40 years in prison for the car bomb murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Caruana Galizia, 53, was one of Malta’s most prominent public figures. Once dubbed the “one-woman WikiLeaks,” she has been a vocal critic of the country’s political elite on her blog, accusing them of nepotism and corruption.
“There are crooks everywhere you look,” she wrote hours before the attack that killed her on October 16, 2017. “The situation is desperate.”
George and Alfred Degiorgio’s sentences fell on the first day of their trial – and nearly five years to the day she was murdered.
Friday’s dramatic trial had led to the couple pleading not guilty before a judge that morning, before changing their pleas hours later.
“Today’s verdict is another important step towards justice for the Caruana Galizia family,” Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Twitter.
“We remain committed to bringing full justice to the family and to Malta.”
In a statement released by his office, he added: “In parallel, the government will continue to implement important reforms to further strengthen the principles of the rule of law and democracy in Malta.”
– ‘Discover your friends’ –
The much-delayed trial of the brothers, who were charged with murder, causing a deadly explosion and criminal conspiracy, among other charges, began on Friday with a dramatic outburst from the accused George Degiorgio.
“Don’t you know who killed Daphne?” Degiorgio called the prosecutor’s office when he arrived in court.
“Your friends, the ones you’ve rubbed shoulders with… Go examine them!”
A third killer, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Judge Edwina Grima had denied a defense motion to stay the trial, based on what she believed had not been time to prepare.
Observers in the courtroom on Friday included representatives from press freedom groups, including Reporters Without Borders and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom.
The Degiorgio brothers said last year they were willing to implicate a former government minister in exchange for a pardon that was not granted.
George Degiorgio admitted to the crime during an interview from prison in July, calling it “just business”.
He reiterated his previously stated plea of ??not guilty in court early Friday.
His wheelchair-bound brother Alfred said, “I have nothing to say,” which the court found not guilty.
But within hours, both had changed their pleas to guilty.
– Malta Spotlight –
The killing of Caruana Galizia sparked global outrage and put Malta, the European Union’s smallest member state, in the spotlight for its apparent flaws in the rule of law.
Joseph Muscat resigned as prime minister over the affair in January 2020 after mass protests against his alleged efforts to protect friends and allies from the investigation.
A public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s 2021 murder found the state should shoulder responsibility for her death, creating a “climate of impunity” for those who tried to silence her.
Still awaiting trial is wealthy Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, who prosecutors believe is the suspected mastermind behind the murder.
Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of Caruana Galizia’s murder.
