{"id":2023541,"date":"2026-07-02T15:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023541"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:07:17","slug":"hitmen-took-e150000-to-murder-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia-malta-court-hears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023541","title":{"rendered":"Hitmen took \u20ac150,000 to murder journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta court hears"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/44\/1200x675_cmsv2_e6793bee-1f0f-5152-a5f6-437c02e036db-9823044.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2906845-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2906845\" data-cid=\"9823313\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906845-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/33\/13\/189x106_cmsv2_a111bc15-f3e3-53cd-b753-edcda9abb655-9823313.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rescue workers carry Hern\u00e1n Alberto Gil Flores Gil after he was pulled from the rubble eight days after he was trapped by twin earthquakes, 2 July, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Venezuela<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Venezuelan security guard pulled alive from rubble days after quakes\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906835-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2906835\" data-cid=\"9823230\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906835-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/32\/30\/189x106_cmsv2_b55e8cde-168c-556a-a2c0-a0b6cf24a126-9823230.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, 2 July 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Armenia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    &#8216;You can count on us,&#8217; von der Leyen says in strategic Armenia visit\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906831-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2906831\" data-cid=\"9823190\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906831-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/31\/90\/189x106_cmsv2_7fd1e55c-43d1-5b27-980a-3f135701c143-9823190.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The UN flag waves the International Court of Justice in The Hague, 23 May, 2024\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Burkina Faso<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UN to close Burkina Faso human rights office after junta suspension\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906774-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2906774\" data-cid=\"9822833\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906774-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/28\/33\/189x106_cmsv2_e9eaacaf-96c9-5661-ba53-612400e9d50d-9822833.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Irish Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Pressure mounts on Ireland to stop alumina sales to Russia\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906845-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2906845\" data-cid=\"9823313\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906845-label-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/33\/13\/189x106_cmsv2_a111bc15-f3e3-53cd-b753-edcda9abb655-9823313.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rescue workers carry Hern\u00e1n Alberto Gil Flores Gil after he was pulled from the rubble eight days after he was trapped by twin earthquakes, 2 July, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Venezuela<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Venezuelan security guard pulled alive from rubble days after quakes\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906835-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2906835\" data-cid=\"9823230\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906835-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/32\/30\/189x106_cmsv2_b55e8cde-168c-556a-a2c0-a0b6cf24a126-9823230.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, 2 July 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Armenia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    &#8216;You can count on us,&#8217; von der Leyen says in strategic Armenia visit\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906831-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2906831\" data-cid=\"9823190\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906831-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/31\/90\/189x106_cmsv2_7fd1e55c-43d1-5b27-980a-3f135701c143-9823190.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The UN flag waves the International Court of Justice in The Hague, 23 May, 2024\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Burkina Faso<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UN to close Burkina Faso human rights office after junta suspension\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906774-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2906774\" data-cid=\"9822833\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906774-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/28\/33\/189x106_cmsv2_e9eaacaf-96c9-5661-ba53-612400e9d50d-9822833.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Irish Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Pressure mounts on Ireland to stop alumina sales to Russia\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Europe<\/p>\n<p>                          Europe News<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Hitmen took \u20ac150,000 to murder journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta court hears<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/44\/1536x864_cmsv2_e6793bee-1f0f-5152-a5f6-437c02e036db-9823044.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Protesters hold photos of Daphne Caruana Galizia during a protest in Valletta, 29 November, 2019 \"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Protesters hold photos of Daphne Caruana Galizia during a protest in Valletta, 29 November, 2019<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspGavin Blackburn\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1783004837\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-07-02 17:07:17 +02:00\">02\/07\/2026 &#8211; 17:07 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center 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decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-telegram.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"telegram\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-vk.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"vk\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>VK<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-vk.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"vk\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"bluesky\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"bluesky\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the country, shining a spotlight on murky links between Malta&#8217;s business and political elites.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>A handshake, \u20ac150,000 in cash and a coded text: Maltese prosecutors on Thursday set out their case against a tycoon accused of ordering the murder of a prominent investigative journalist.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Yorgen Fenech is accused of masterminding the 2017 killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia in a case that shook the island nation and brought down a previous government.<\/p>\n<p>After the defendant attempted to escape on his yacht in 2019 and many procedural delays, Fenech&#8217;s trial finally began on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>He denies the charges.<\/p>\n<p>According to the indictment, cited by the Times of Malta, the 44-year-old tasked an acquaintance with finding people capable of getting rid of the journalist and blogger, initially saying he feared she would publish revelations about his uncle.<\/p>\n<p>This acquaintance contacted two brothers, Alfred and George Degiorgio, agreeing with them on a price of \u20ac150,000 which he says he was given by Fenech in cash in a brown envelope, according to an account by Amphora Media, the journalism platform of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6665\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/44\/808x539_cmsv2_c54d787f-6fe5-5e7e-81ed-9f5f85a33e04-9823044.jpg\" alt=\"Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech leaves court in Valletta, 29 November, 2019\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech leaves court in Valletta, 29 November, 2019<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Martin Agius\/AP<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The two brothers, each sentenced in 2022 to 40 years in prison, spent the summer of 2017 planning the journalist&#8217;s assassination, aided by an accomplice.<\/p>\n<p>According to this accomplice, who was sentenced in 2021 to 15 years\u2019 imprisonment, the trio initially intended to shoot the journalist at her home with sniper rifles, before ultimately opting for a car bomb.<\/p>\n<p>The 53-year-old Caruana Galizia, married and the mother of three sons, was killed on 16 October 2017 near her home.<\/p>\n<p>The killers used a coded text message to detonate the explosive device hidden the previous night under the driver\u2019s seat of her Peugeot 108.<\/p>\n<p>Yorgen Fenech, who in 2013 won a multimillion-euro contract with the Maltese state for the construction of a gas-fired power plant, was arrested in 2019 aboard his yacht as he tried to leave Malta.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.666\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/44\/808x539_cmsv2_82fc9f67-bdcf-560a-93dd-bd69d018e9a9-9823044.jpg\" alt=\"A drawing of Daphne Caruana Galizia and a banner reading &apos;Justice&apos; during a silent gathering at the place where she was killed in Bidnija fields, 16 October, 2022\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">A drawing of Daphne Caruana Galizia and a banner reading &#8216;Justice&#8217; during a silent gathering at the place where she was killed in Bidnija fields, 16 October, 2022<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the country, shining a spotlight on murky links between Malta&#8217;s business and political elites.<\/p>\n<p>The death of the popular journalist and blogger described as a &#8220;one-woman WikiLeaks&#8221; sparked outrage around the world and put Malta, the European Union&#8217;s smallest member state, in the spotlight over its apparent rule-of-law failings.<\/p>\n<p>Her killing also led to the resignation of then-premier Joseph Muscat in January 2020 after widespread anger and mass protests over his perceived efforts to protect friends and allies from the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The trial is expected to last several weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-contributors c-article-contributors-supplementary u-margin-top-2 u-padding-top-2\">\n<p>Additional sources<strong> \u2022 AFP<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  At least 10 dead in migrant boat shipwreck off Malta, Italian coastguard says<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  At least two injured in explosion at fireworks factory in northern Malta, police say<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Malta&#8217;s Labour party wins historic fourth term in snap general election<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Daphne Caruana<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Press freedom<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Journalism<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Joseph Muscat<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Trial<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Malta<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2906812-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2906812\" data-cid=\"9823101\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906812-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/31\/01\/320x180_cmsv2_3c715f8f-0599-5fb9-8079-8b54c6d852e7-9823101.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Smoke rises over the city center after a Russian attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 2, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Russia steps up use of jet-powered drones against Ukraine<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2906787-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2906787\" data-cid=\"9823018\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906787-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/18\/320x180_cmsv2_e5d449fa-ca36-537e-90ae-d1d53cf62675-9823018.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Migrants queue at a public service office to obtain paperwork needed to apply for Spain&apos;s immigration amnesty near Barcelona, 21 April, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Almost 1.2 million apply for Spain&#8217;s migrant regularisation scheme<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2906619-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2906619\" data-cid=\"9822187\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2906619-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/21\/87\/320x180_cmsv2_d3029938-f205-5cf7-a80e-ce602bdb5970-9822187.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the question-and-answer session with the government in the Bundestag in Berlin, 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id=\"abe-2905837-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2905837\" data-cid=\"9819253\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    New venomous spider species discovered in Portugal<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906339-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2906339\" data-cid=\"9820431\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Russia closes railway borders with Finland, Estonia and Latvia<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2906381-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2906381\" data-cid=\"9820618\" 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Galizia in a case that shook the island nation and brought down a previous government.After the defendant attempted to escape on his yacht in 2019 and many procedural delays, Fenech&#8217;s trial finally began on Wednesday.He denies the charges.According to the indictment, cited by the Times of Malta, the 44-year-old tasked an acquaintance with finding people capable of getting rid of the journalist and blogger, initially saying he feared she would publish revelations about his uncle.This acquaintance contacted two brothers, Alfred and George Degiorgio, agreeing with them on a price of \u20ac150,000 which he says he was given by Fenech in cash in a brown envelope, according to an account by Amphora Media, the journalism platform of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.The two brothers, each sentenced in 2022 to 40 years in prison, spent the summer of 2017 planning the journalist&#8217;s assassination, aided by an accomplice.According to this accomplice, who was sentenced in 2021 to 15 years\u2019 imprisonment, the trio initially intended to shoot the journalist at her home with sniper rifles, before ultimately opting for a car bomb.The 53-year-old Caruana Galizia, married and the mother of three sons, was killed on 16 October 2017 near her home.The killers used a coded text message to detonate the explosive device hidden the previous night under the driver\u2019s seat of her Peugeot 108.Yorgen Fenech, who in 2013 won a multimillion-euro contract with the Maltese state for the construction of a gas-fired power plant, was arrested in 2019 aboard his yacht as he tried to leave Malta.Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the country, shining a spotlight on murky links between Malta&#8217;s business and political elites.The death of the popular journalist and blogger described as a &#8220;one-woman WikiLeaks&#8221; sparked outrage around the world and put Malta, the European Union&#8217;s smallest member state, in the spotlight over its apparent rule-of-law failings.Her killing also led to the resignation of then-premier Joseph Muscat in January 2020 after widespread anger and mass protests over his perceived efforts to protect friends and allies from the investigation.The trial is expected to last several weeks.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2026\/07\/02\/hitmen-took-150000-to-murder-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia-malta-court-hears&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/82\/30\/44\/1200x675_cmsv2_e6793bee-1f0f-5152-a5f6-437c02e036db-9823044.jpg&#8221;] Venezuela Venezuelan security guard pulled alive from rubble days after quakes Armenia &#8216;You can count on us,&#8217; von der Leyen says in strategic Armenia visit Burkina Faso UN to close Burkina Faso human rights office after junta suspension Europe News Pressure mounts on Ireland to stop alumina sales to Russia Venezuela Venezuelan 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