• Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech acquitted of orchestrating the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
• The jury's decision sparked outrage among Caruana Galizia's family and media freedom advocates.
• The murder, which occurred in 2017, led to major political fallout, including the resignation of Malta's Prime Minister.
• Five individuals have been convicted in relation to the murder, but Fenech was the last charged.
• An independent inquiry concluded that the Maltese state bears responsibility for Caruana Galizia's assassination.

A Maltese court acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech on September 2 of orchestrating the car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a case that shocked Europe and brought down a government. The jury found him not guilty of both complicity and criminal association after about eight hours of deliberation, concluding with an 8-1 vote, causing outbursts of emotion in the courtroom according to Le Monde, BBC, and Los Angeles Times.

Following the verdict, Caruana Galizia's family expressed dismay, stating that it "denies her the justice she deserves," while her son Matthew described the decision as potentially detrimental to the country's future. "Nine years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed," the family lamented, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive justice, as reported by Al Jazeera and CBS News.

Caruana Galizia, killed in October 2017, was renowned for exposing corruption within Malta's political and business elites. Her assassination led to widespread protests and a significant political crisis, ultimately resulting in then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's resignation in January 2020. An independent inquiry published in 2021 concluded that the Maltese state shares responsibility for the assassination due to a prevailing climate of impunity, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.

Fenech's acquittal follows the convictions of other individuals involved in Caruana Galizia's murder, including those who supplied the bomb and the three men who executed the plan. This verdict has reignited calls for greater accountability and justice within Malta's judicial system, with media watchdogs expressing outrage and demanding reforms for the protection of journalists, as noted by NPR and SCMP.