Lawyer Jason Azzopardi has been fined €300 for contempt of court after he was found to have repeatedly ignored and disobeyed a court order prohibiting him from making public comments about Yorgen Fenech or his upcoming trial.

The order came about following two previous incidents in May 2025, in which Azzopardi was found to have made inappropriate comments implying Fenech's guilt. He was warned and ordered to refrain from any further public commentary that could prejudice the administration of justice or Fenech's presumption of innocence.

Despite these warnings, a post uploaded by Azzopardi on 21 June sparked fresh controversy.

Fenech's defence team, led by lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran, Marion Camilleri, and Charles Mercieca, argued that the post was a clear violation of the court's previous decree.

The post referred unmistakably to Fenech, implied that he "ordered a killing" and that such statements undermine the presumption of innocence by suggesting guilt before the jury's determination, the court heard. The defence further emphasised repeated contempt, that this was not the first breach and similar posts had previously been removed following court orders. It said that the persistence of such conduct demonstrated disrespect for judicial authority and the defence thus urged the court to take appropriate action in the interest of justice.

In response, lawyer Jason Azzopardi rejected all allegations and argued that his post was an exercise of his constitutional right to free speech, not a reference to the accused.

He maintained that nowhere in the post was Fenech's name mentioned and concluded that there was no evidence linking the post to Fenech and that his complaint was an overreach designed to silence him.

Madame Justice Edwina Grima delivered a clear and firm ruling on the matter, finding that despite Azzopardi's denials, his post was "undoubtedly and indirectly" referring to Yorgen Fenech.

The court held that the post breached the standing decree prohibiting comments on Fenech or his case.

Judge Grima concluded that Azzopardi's conduct amounted to contempt of court and he was fined €300. He was once again strictly warned not to make any further comments, directly or indirectly, about Fenech or the forthcoming jury until it is concluded.

In its decree, the Criminal Court said that while there was no ban on the publication of the decree, it ordered an absolute ban on the media, social media platforms, and blogs prohibiting any comments or opinions.