A court in Malta has acquitted a businessman accused of plotting the 2017 car bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a verdict that reopens painful questions about accountability in one of Europe’s most closely watched cases.
Caruana Galizia was killed while investigating corruption at the highest levels of Maltese public life, and her death prompted international outrage and years of legal proceedings. Several people have faced charges in connection with the killing, with mixed outcomes.
Her family and press freedom groups have long pushed for full accountability, arguing that those who ordered and financed the murder must be held responsible, not only those who carried it out. The acquittal is likely to renew calls for further investigation.
The case has become a symbol of the risks faced by journalists who expose wrongdoing, and of the difficulty of securing convictions when powerful interests are involved. Prosecutors and the family are expected to weigh their options in the wake of the ruling.
