The main suspect in the investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana has requested immunity in exchange for cooperating with the investigation. The suspect, businessman Yorgen Fenech, was arrested on Wednesday while attempting to flee Malta on his yacht.
Fenech was taken to hospital last Saturday after complaining of chest pain. He has been released on conditions and must remain under observation before he can be questioned again by the police. Fenech is also under police guard at the hospital.
Officially, Fenech is considered a witness, but some media and the journalist’s family suspect he may have been a mastermind behind the murder. His request for judicial immunity is causing significant political problems for Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Last week, the prime minister agreed to a sentence reduction for another witness, after which businessman Fenech was arrested. In recent days, several politicians have also been questioned. It is suspected that this witness implicated the businessman as a co-perpetrator, leading to his arrest.
Chief of Staff Schembri from Prime Minister Muscat’s office has now resigned, as has Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi. Minister Christian Cardona of Economic Affairs has suspended himself after being questioned by the police. An earlier investigation into the journalist's murder has still not been made public. Under pressure from the European Union, a broader, more in-depth investigation has now been decided upon.
In October 2017, Maltese journalist Caruana was killed by a bomb placed under her car. She had been investigating, among other things, the murky connections between politics and business — accusing Prime Minister Muscat of turning Malta into a “mafia island.”
The case in Malta bears strong similarities to the earlier murder in Slovakia of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. He was also investigating links between the mafia and Slovak politicians and businessmen and was murdered to silence him. There, too, the so-called Panama Papers revealed close ties between criminals, businessmen, and politicians.