Former Malta Employers' Association director general Joseph Farrugia has returned his Ġieħ ir-Repubblika award in protest against Yorgen Fenech's acquittal on all charges related to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Farrugia, an artist and lecturer, received the honour from President Myriam Spiteri Debono in 2024, shortly after ending his nearly 25-year tenure at the helm of the employers' association.

In a detailed letter sent to the President on Tuesday, Farrugia said his heart was "heavy with sorrow" as he explained his decision, adding that he "no longer has faith in our republic".

"I love my country to death, but I feel disconnected from it," he wrote.

Describing the award as a "promise of eternal loyalty" to the country, Farrugia said he was experiencing a "crisis because today I no longer feel proud of my country".

While several people have refused the honour over the years, Farrugia is believed to be the first recipient to voluntarily return it.

In his letter, he highlighted Malta's long-standing difficulties in bringing high-profile murder cases to justice, particularly those with "a political tint". He referred to the killings of Karin Grech and Raymond Caruana, arguing that the country had repeatedly failed to deliver justice in cases that had left a lasting mark on society.

Although people were charged in connection with Caruana Galizia's murder, "justice was still not served", he said.

Farrugia also cited the murders of Sion Grech and Lassana Cisse, describing them as examples of cases in which "killers were let off" or "justice dragged its feet". Two men were acquitted of Grech's murder in 2005, while the trial over Cisse's killing has yet to begin, seven years after his death.

"Despite the great trust and admiration I have in you as President, I have reached the conclusion that I must return the medal I received to the State," Farrugia told Spiteri Debono.

Farrugia served as the MEA's director general from 2001 to 2024, representing the organisation on several key bodies, including the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and the Employment Relations Board. He continues to work as a consultant to the association.

He also served as president of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) between 2010 and 2013. Alongside his professional career, he established himself as a painter and visual artist, becoming a recognised presence on Malta's art scene during the 1980s and 1990s.

Farrugia's decision follows previous instances in which individuals refused the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika award, although none is known to have returned it after accepting it.

In 2005, former prime minister Dom Mintoff rejected the honour amid a legal dispute with the Water Services Corporation, during which he alleged that his human rights had been breached.

In December 2013, novelist Alex Vella Gera also turned down the award following a lengthy legal dispute over a short story he had published in a university students' newspaper.

The honour has also been revoked from recipients. In February, Britain's former ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, was stripped of the award following the emergence of evidence of his links to US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali also had their honours revoked following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, which led to their removal from power.

Joseph Farrugua's letter to the President may be seen here