The Nationalist Party broke its silence on Yorgen Fenech’s trial yesterday evening, following the jury’s verdict acquitting Yorgen Fenech of charges that he commissioned the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Nationalist Party came out forcefully with its position, echoing the widespread disbelief and anger among the public over the fact that Daphne Caruana Galizia has still been denied justice.
The Nationalist Party called for a silent protest in front of Parliament yesterday, with Opposition Leader Alex Borg delivering a speech in front of Auberge de Castille. An official statement was also released.
In a striking speech delivered in front of Auberge de Castille, Opposition Leader Alex Borg said that the country had to unite under these circumstances. He then added that the murder of Daphne was planned and concocted behind the walls of Castille.
In an official statement, the PN said that, despite accepting the verdict of the trial, this did not mean that serious questions should not be asked about the disturbing facts that emerged during the proceedings. The PN stressed that, nine years after her murder, justice for Daphne remains unfulfilled and that the nation has the right to know how the State failed to secure a clear conviction in the case.
The PN also highlighted serious issues surrounding the investigation into Yorgen Fenech, including the compromised position of former police investigator Silvio Valletta and the fact that Keith Schembri’s electronic devices were not seized.
The Nationalist Party is questioning whether the State actually did its duty to ensure that the investigation was conducted properly and that a conviction could be secured. It also said that it would not accept a country where money and connections grant privilege and impunity, and is demanding that the State be held accountable for its failures in the investigation.
Full statement by the Nationalist Party below.
You can view the protest here.
Statement by the Partit Nazzjonalista
We want a free country, a country that is not afraid
Today’s verdict does not close the chapter on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, much less absolve the State of political responsibility for the serious failures that weakened the investigation
We want a free country. A country that is not afraid.
This was the message delivered by Opposition and Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg in his first reaction to the jury’s verdict finding Yorgen Fenech not guilty of the two charges brought against him in the trial concerning the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Alex Borg said that today, the Partit Nazzjonalista’s first thoughts are with Peter, Matthew, Andrew and Paul, with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s parents and with her entire family.
Nearly nine years after a woman, mother, daughter and journalist was murdered, her family is still without full justice over who ordered her assassination. After years of investigations, inquiries and judicial proceedings, justice has still not reached where it needed to reach – neither for Daphne’s family nor for our country.
The Partit Nazzjonalista respects the jury’s verdict and the fundamental principle of the rule of law that no one may be found guilty unless the case against them is proven beyond reasonable doubt.
However, respect for the verdict does not mean remaining silent in the face of the grave questions that emerged during the trial. The country has the right to ask how, nearly nine years after an assassination that shook an entire nation, the State failed to secure the conviction of the person accused of commissioning the murder. It has the right to know the whole truth and who will shoulder responsibility for what went wrong.
Throughout the trial, the Partit Nazzjonalista exercised restraint so that the jurors alone could decide the case on the evidence before them. Now that the trial has ended, the Partit Nazzjonalista has a duty to speak about what the country heard.
We heard about an investigation surrounded by serious questions: a senior official who was removed because of a conflict of interest, important electronic evidence that was not seized and suspected leaks of information which the investigators themselves asked to have investigated.
These are not minor details. How much evidence was lost, and how many lines of inquiry were not pursued in time? How different might the Prosecution’s position have been had we, from the very first day, had independent institutions free from conflicts of interest and political pressure?
The Public Inquiry found that a culture of impunity had been created at the highest levels of the administration and that the State was responsible for creating the environment that led to this crime. Yet, five years later, not all of its recommendations have been implemented.
Robert Abela cannot evade responsibility by claiming that this belonged to another time. This remains the same Labour Government, operating within a system that continues to concentrate too much power in the hands of the Prime Minister. Genuine change is not measured by who occupies the seat, but by how power is exercised.
No one should use this verdict as a certificate that “the institutions worked”. The jury and the Court did their duty. The political question is whether the State did its duty from the very first day. Today, there are very serious grounds for demanding accountability.
The chapter on Daphne has not been closed. It will not be closed until her family has the whole truth, until we know whether failures or conflicts weakened the investigation, and until everyone who played a criminal role faces justice.
The Partit Nazzjonalista will not accept a country in which connections, money or power give anyone an advantage over ordinary citizens.
We want a police force that is free to investigate everyone, a judiciary free from all pressure, journalists able to work without intimidation, and institutions that are stronger than any government.
We owe Daphne’s family a debt of truth, accountability and justice. No verdict can bring Daphne back, but neither can it erase the questions that have brought our country to this point.
The Partit Nazzjonalista Leader continued: “We will not give up. We will continue searching for the truth, demanding accountability and working to ensure that political power can never again capture an institution that should belong to the people.”
At the end of his message, Alex Borg announced a demonstration to be held outside Castille this evening. It will be a protest for all Maltese and Gozitans because this is not about party politics, but about a grave failure and injustice.
Alex Borg concluded: “We want a free country. A country that is not afraid.”
02.09.2026
Newsroom
Leave a Reply