Yorgen Fenech has been acquitted of Daphne's brutal assassination, nine years after she was killed, denying her the justice she deserves, the journalist's family said Wednesday.

"We remain grateful to everyone who worked to bring Fenech to justice, in particular our hardworking lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi, the police, the prosecution, the judiciary, the press, and civil society in Malta and abroad."

Today should have belonged to Daphne, the family said.

Her dreams and ours were shattered when she was killed outside her family home, aged just 53. During Fenech's months-long trial, we have heard many people speak, but we will never see or hear Daphne again, they added.

Accountability is now overdue for all those who enabled, facilitated, or protected her murderers. Had Daphne not been killed, we believe she would have exposed corrupt links between Yorgen Fenech, the then Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, centred on Fenech's company, 17 Black.

Evidence presented in court shows that Fenech himself considered ElectroGas to be "one big mistake" and that he feared its collapse because it would have ruined him, the family said.

"We believe the motive for Daphne's murder was to stop her investigating Fenech's once secret company, 17 Black, and its financial transactions. Documents show that the €5,000 per day due to Konrad Mizzi's and Keith Schembri's once-secret Panama companies was expected to be paid via Fenech's offshore company, 17 Black," the family said.

Justice must now be served for the corruption that made Daphne's murder possible. Yorgen Fenech and fellow ElectroGas director Paul Apap Bologna, Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Mario Pullicino, and their various companies, are already variously charged with bribery and corruption in connection with the ElectroGas project.

Separately, Fenech is also charged with bribing the police inspector who was responsible for the Economic Crimes Unit and for the investigation into Fenech's company, 17 Black, and Keith Schembri is being prosecuted for leaking information from the murder investigation to Yorgen Fenech.

Other prosecutions may follow.

"Nine years after Daphne's brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed. Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne's life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost."