Two brothers convicted of murdering investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia have named a former chief of staff and a former government minister as key figures behind the 2017 assassination. Alfred and George Degiorgio, who carried out the bombing, implicated Keith Schembri and Chris Cardona during their testimony in the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, which started earlier this month in Valletta.
Fenech, once head of the Tumas Group, is accused of orchestrating the killing. He was detained in 2019 while allegedly trying to flee on his yacht, but he has denied any involvement and entered a not-guilty plea.
Caruana Galizia, aged 53, died on October 16, 2017, when a bomb hidden under her car was detonated remotely near her home in Bidnija. Witnesses described a harrowing scene: a passing driver saw a spark under her vehicle and heard a scream before a second, massive explosion tore the car apart. Police found the wreckage scattered, and later retrieved cigarette butts at the scene that matched DNA from Alfred Degiorgio.
Before her death, the journalist was probing 17 Black, a Dubai shell company owned by Fenech, which prosecutors say was meant to fund offshore accounts linked to Schembri and another minister.
The prosecution claims Fenech hired middleman Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver and close associate, to arrange the hit. Fenech has previously told police that Schembri was the true mastermind—an assertion the hitmen’s recent testimony now reinforces.
Alfred Degiorgio, the triggerman, repeatedly refused to answer questions, citing safety fears for his family. He broke his silence only twice, stating: “Before I testify, I want to say that Chris Cardona, David Gatt, and Keith Schembri are involved in the murder.” He added, “I have no doubt those three are involved.” After refusing further questions, Judge Edwina Grima ordered his arrest for contempt.
His brother George testified more aggressively. He claimed Cardona and Theuma personally told him that Schembri had sent Theuma to commission the murder. “I asked him who sent Melvin Theuma, and Cardona told me: Keith Schembri,” George Degiorgio said, adding that Theuma also confirmed this to the hitmen.
George gave details of an earlier, failed 2015 plot against Caruana Galizia. He alleged Cardona ordered it during a meeting at the Portomaso complex, saying: “I want you to kill Daphne.” A price of 150,000 euros was set, with a 50,000-euro deposit, because Cardona feared she would “break our party,” the ruling Labour Party. He also promised non-monetary payments, including contraband cigarettes and a petrol station. The plan was abandoned due to an election.
George insisted both the 2015 and 2017 plots involved the same six men. He claimed the hitmen knew of their December 2017 arrests three weeks in advance because Theuma tipped them off, assuming Cardona and Schembri would protect them.
These claims partially align with—but also conflict with—testimony from the third hitman turned state witness, Vince Muscat. Muscat testified that the 2017 killing was also commissioned for 150,000 euros and confirmed the advance arrest warnings. However, he said the 2015 plan was scrapped simply because Cardona’s promised 50,000-euro deposit never arrived.
George’s memory of the 2017 attack was notably weaker, answering “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” to many questions about the bombing itself.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini challenged George’s credibility, noting that his conviction became final in November 2023, police approached him twice, he gave a statement in March 2024, and he testified before magistrates three times between 2024 and 2025—never mentioning these accusations. George admitted he deliberately withheld the full story, saying he gave police only a fragment.
He was also questioned about his legal funding. The Attorney General presented evidence indicating the money came from Fenech, but George retorted: “[The money] came from heaven.”
Throughout his testimony, George was combative, challenging officials over his 40-year sentence and a separate life term. When asked how he sleeps at night, he shot back: “How do you sleep at night?” After Judge Grima threatened contempt and fined him 500 euros, he scoffed, “Make it 1,000.”
“I wanted to tell this morning. I was going to answer the defence and not the prosecution,” he concluded.
The trial continues, with Melvin Theuma expected to testify soon.