Two men are sentenced to life in prison for their role in a journalist’s murder

A court in Malta on Tuesday sentenced two men to life imprisonment for aiding and abetting the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

According to investigators, the two men supplied the car bomb used in the fatal car bombing, which shocked the nation and the international community.

What do we know about Caruana Galizia’s murder?

The Valletta court handed down the sentences on Tuesday, days after a jury found the men guilty.

The two defendants were convicted on Friday after jurors reached an 8-1 verdict, concluding that they had supplied explosive materials in exchange for money. The trial had lasted more than six weeks. Both men had pleaded not guilty.

The investigation revealed that the assassination was carried out by three men. Two brothers were convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2022, while another accomplice received a 15-year sentence in 2021 after confessing and providing key information.

The bomb, containing around 500 grams of gelatin explosives, was designed to be detonated by mobile phone. The attackers planted the device under the driver’s seat of Caruana Galizia’s car and triggered it remotely. 

Sentencing was delivered after legal submissions on punishment.

What did Caruana Galizia’s family say? 

Caruana Galizia’s sister, Corinne Vella, said the family lawyers had asked “for the court to consider the devastating impact of Daphne’s brutal murder both on our family and on society.” 

Caruana Galizia was a prominent journalist in Malta, known for her extensive reporting on corruption and misconduct involving political and business figures.

Her death triggered widespread protests on the island. At the time of her death, she was facing over 40 libel cases.

“Her assassination created a sense in society that the people behind her murder were sure of their impunity and that the institutions that are duty-bound to protect her and society had failed,” Vella said on behalf of her family.

“We hope that today’s sentences will be a step towards a safer world for journalists by signaling to potential killers that there are heavy penalties to pay when a journalist is murdered.”

A businessman accused of masterminding the murder is still awaiting trial. The man, who had close ties to former Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s government, was arrested in November 2019 while trying to sail out of Malta aboard his yacht. He was granted bail in January.