A jury has been selected and proceedings have officially begun in the trial of four men accused of the murders of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop.

The accused – brothers Robert and Adrian Agius, known as the ‘Ta’ Maksar’ brothers, along with Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio – appeared in court on Wednesday as jurors were empanelled.

Adrian Agius, 46, and Robert Agius, 41, both from Żebbuġ, along with Jamie Vella, 41, from Mosta, and George Degiorgio, 62, are facing seven serious charges.

These include the voluntary homicide of lawyer Carmel Chircop, and either direct involvement or complicity in the car bomb explosion that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Additionally, Robert Agius, Jamie Vella, and George Degiorgio are also accused of unlawful possession of explosives and firearms.

The trial marks a significant milestone in the Caruana Galizia murder case, which has been ongoing for years following her murder in 2017.

11:58: Jury breaks for lunch

Proceedings have been temporarily paused, as the jury goes on break. Proceedings will resume at 2pm.

11:26: The court registrar is now reading out the indictment against the defendants. A copy of the indictment has been given to jurors. The reading out of the charges is expected to last hours.

11:25: Proceedings started at around 9am, and the jury has now offically been empanneled. Due to the expected length and complexity of the trial, the court has appointed six reserve jurors instead of the usual three, ensuring that the jury process can continue smoothly in the event of any unforeseen circumstances affecting its members.

The judge addressed the jury, outlining their responsibilities. She explained that determining the facts of the case is entirely up to them, while her role is to provide guidance on legal issues. She also stressed that their verdict must be based solely on the law, cautioning them not to let emotions such as sympathy, bias, or fear affect their decision.

11:23: Good morning, we are inside the law courts in Valletta for the first day of the trial of four men accused of the murders of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop.

 

The murders

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, was assassinated in a car bomb attack near her home in Bidnija on 17 October 2017. The explosion occurred shortly after she left her house around 3pm, when a remotely triggered device detonated under the driver’s seat of her Peugeot 108.

Caruana Galizia was a prominent investigative journalist. Her reporting focused heavily on high-level government corruption, money laundering, links between politics and organised crime, and offshore dealings revealed in the Panama Papers.

In the months before her death, she had been investigating businessman Yorgen Fenech, owner of 17 Black – a secret Dubai company connected to energy deals involving Maltese officials.

The nature of the bomb and its remote detonation pointed to a professional and well-organised hit. The murder sparked massive national and international outrage, with the European Parliament and global press freedom groups calling for an independent investigation.

In response, the Maltese government eventually established a public inquiry, which in 2021 found that the state had “enabled the environment” in which Caruana Galizia was killed due to regulatory failures and political inaction.

Three men – brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio and their associate Vincent Muscat – were charged in connection with planting and detonating the bomb. Muscat later entered a plea deal in 2021, receiving a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony implicating other conspirators, including the Agius brothers and Jamie Vella.

George Degiorgio later admitted his role in the killing during a media interview in 2022. Investigators believe Robert and Adrian Agius supplied the explosive device, and Jamie Vella helped coordinate logistics. The suspected mastermind, Yorgen Fenech, was arrested in 2019 while attempting to flee Malta by yacht. He is still awaiting trial. 

Carmel Chircop

Carmel Chircop, a 51-year-old lawyer and financial advisor, was gunned down in the garage of a business complex in Birkirkara. He was shot multiple times as he arrived at work in the morning. The murder initially appeared to be an isolated incident.

Chircop was involved in several complex financial arrangements and had been in dispute with certain individuals over an unpaid €750,000 loan related to a company he had invested in.

Years later, links emerged between the Chircop murder and the same group accused of killing Caruana Galizia. Vincent Muscat, in his testimony, claimed the Agius brothers and Jamie Vella were involved in both killings and that George Degiorgio acted as the getaway driver in the Chircop case. The murder is believed to have been motivated by the financial fallout from the disputed loan.

According to prosecutors, both murders are tied to the same organised crime network, whose members carried out or facilitated contract killings to eliminate threats.