The trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech over the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia resumes on Thursday for its eighth day.

Wednesday saw the end of four days of testimony from lead investigator Keith Arnaud

The defence began questioning Arnaud on Monday afternoon, after the Assistant Police Commissioner spent last Friday and Saturday giving evidence for the prosecution.  Jurors also put their questions to Arnaud on Wednesday.

During Wednesday’s sitting, jurors heard that Yorgen Fenech seemed to know that the journalist’s laptop had ended up in Germany.

Meanwhile, forensic experts and two police officers who were at the scene of the murder also testified before the jury.

Fenech, 44, has pleaded not guilty to two principal charges: complicity in the wilful homicide of Daphne Caruana Galizia and criminal association to commit the murder.

Arnaud, the lead investigator in the case, began testifying last week, outlining the police investigation that followed Caruana Galizia's assassination in a car bomb attack on 16 October 2017.

Over the course of his testimony, he detailed how secret recordings made by state witness Melvin Theuma, messages recovered from the encrypted messaging app Signal and data extracted from Fenech's mobile phone became central to the prosecution's case.

Five men have already been convicted in connection with Caruana Galizia's assassination. Vince Muscat admitted his role in the murder in 2021 and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Alfred and George Degiorgio each received 40-year prison sentences after pleading guilty in 2022, while Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2025 for supplying the bomb used in the attack.

The prosecution is being led by Attorney General lawyers Godwin Cini, Anthony Vella and Danika Vella, assisted by Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra. Fenech is represented by lawyers Charles Mercieca, Gianella De Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran, while lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi are appearing parte civile on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family.

Judge Edwina Grima is presiding over the case.

09:50: The experts confirm their signatures and participation in the reports penned by their colleagues which related to the crime scene reconstruction and the explosives used in the bombing.

One of the experts also says that Daphne Caruana Galizia’s phone – which the court heard was found under the left wheel of her car at the crime scene – was analysed in the Netherlands before then being sent back to the police in Malta.

Their testimony is hampered by poor sound quality on the video call, but regardless it comes to an end with no cross-examination from the defence.

09:30: Three forensic experts from the Netherlands Forensic Institute will be up first to testify.  They will testify together through a video call about a report written by fellow Dutch expert Marcel van Beest, who testified yesterday.

09:20: The judge and jury have made their way into the courtroom and proceedings for the day may now commence.

08:45: Good morning and welcome to the eighth day of this trial-by-jury. 

We expect proceedings to get underway shortly, at around 9am.