Hitmen brothers handed 40 years for Maltese journalist murder

The murder sparked mass protests in Malta and eventually led to the resignation of the prime minister, Joseph Muscat.The dramatic proceedings saw them plead not guilty before a judge in the morning, before changing their pleas hours later. The car bomb killing of 53-year-old investigative journalist Caruana Galizia, described as a "one-woman WikiLeaks", led to widespread anger internationally.The October 16, 2017 car bomb attack near her home came hours after she had posted a message that read: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate."Still awaiting trial is wealthy Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, considered by prosecutors to be the alleged mastermind of the murder.The much-delayed trial of the brothers -- charged with homicide, causing a fatal explosion and criminal conspiracy, among other crimes -- began Friday with a dramatic outburst from defendant George Degiorgio "Your friends, those you were shoulder to shoulder with... Go investigate them!"As the trial opened, judge Edwina Grima said a defence request to suspend the trial, due to what lawyers said was their lack of time to prepare, had been refused.- Malta in spotlight -George Degiorgio confessed to the crime during an interview from jail in July, calling it "just business". His brother Alfred, seated in a wheelchair, said "I have nothing to say," which the court recorded as a not guilty plea. Caruana Galizia's assassination sparked outrage around the world and put Malta, the European Union's smallest member state, in the spotlight over its apparent rule-of-law failings.A 2021 public inquiry into Caruana Galizia's murder found the state should bear responsibility for her death, by creating a "climate of impunity" for those who wanted to silence her....

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October 14, 2022 at 11:24PM
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The murder sparked mass protests in Malta and eventually led to the resignation of the prime minister, Joseph Muscat.The dramatic proceedings saw them plead not guilty before a judge in the morning, before changing their pleas hours later. The car bomb killing of 53-year-old investigative journalist Caruana Galizia, described as a "one-woman WikiLeaks", led to widespread anger internationally.The October 16, 2017 car bomb attack near her home came hours after she had posted a message that read: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate."Still awaiting trial is wealthy Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, considered by prosecutors to be the alleged mastermind of the murder.The much-delayed trial of the brothers -- charged with homicide, causing a fatal explosion and criminal conspiracy, among other crimes -- began Friday with a dramatic outburst from defendant George Degiorgio "Your friends, those you were shoulder to shoulder with... Go investigate them!"As the trial opened, judge Edwina Grima said a defence request to suspend the trial, due to what lawyers said was their lack of time to prepare, had been refused.- Malta in spotlight -George Degiorgio confessed to the crime during an interview from jail in July, calling it "just business". His brother Alfred, seated in a wheelchair, said "I have nothing to say," which the court recorded as a not guilty plea. Caruana Galizia's assassination sparked outrage around the world and put Malta, the European Union's smallest member state, in the spotlight over its apparent rule-of-law failings.A 2021 public inquiry into Caruana Galizia's murder found the state should bear responsibility for her death, by creating a "climate of impunity" for those who wanted to silence her....