Maltese businessman paid hitmen €150,000 to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia, jury hears

Yorgen Fenech, heir to property empire, on trial for alleged involvement in murder of journalist, which he denies One of Malta’s wealthiest businessmen plotted to kill the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, paying €150,000 (£130,000) for three hitmen to carry out the murder, a jury has heard. Yorgen Fenech, the 44-year-old heir to a property empire that includes the Hilton Malta hotel and casino, is on trial for the 2017 murder. Caruana Galizia died after a bomb planted in her car was detonated. A magazine publisher, newspaper columnist and blogger, she was one of the most recognised media figures in the country. Her reporting on leading government and business figures had made her a target of repeated attacks by politicians and their supporters, and her violent death caused outrage across Europe. Fenech was arrested seven years ago. After numerous delays and his release on bail in February after the time during which he could legally be held expired, his trial began on Wednesday morning at the courts of justice in Malta’s capital, Valletta. The accused, wearing a navy suit and glasses, entered a plea of not guilty. Fenech has been indicted on two counts: compl