A well-known businessman accused of participation in the 2017 murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was granted bail by a Maltese court on Friday.
Following the judge’s ruling, Yorgen Fenech, who has been detained since November 2019, gave his family members hugs in court. Although a trial date has not yet been set, he has been going through pre-trial hearings for a number of years.
He refutes the accusations.
Three guys who planned and executed the murder are currently serving lengthy prison terms. As Caruana Galizia drove out from home, a bomb placed in her car exploded, instantly killing her.
When the decree was delivered, one of Caruana Galizia’s sisters was present in court.
The court ordered Fenech to turn up his passport and identifying documents and to stay within 50 meters [164 feet] of Malta’s coastor airport. He was placed under the supervision of a probation officer. The court ordered his aunt, who serves as his guarantor, to deposit several hundred thousand euros.
Additionally, Fenech was prohibited from speaking with prosecution witnesses, including one who admitted to being a middleman and turning state evidence.
Prosecutors have already refused Fenech’s bail pleas on multiple occasions, citing concerns that he may run away or tamper with the evidence.
Defense attorneys maintained that Fenech met all legal requirements for bail and that their client had been imprisoned for five years while deemed innocent and had never caused any trouble while there.