I want you guys to kill Daphne. It would cost €150,000.
In a Valletta courtroom, the long shadow of Daphne Caruana Galizia's 2017 assassination stretched further into Malta's political establishment when two confessed killers named a former economy minister and a former chief of staff as architects of the plot. The testimony, vivid and volatile, raises questions that democracies must eventually answer: how deeply can power corrupt, and how far can it reach? The trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech continues, but the names now spoken aloud in court belong to men who once stood at the center of Maltese governance.
- Two brothers serving 40-year sentences for the car bombing that killed Caruana Galizia named ex-minister Chris Cardona and former chief of staff Keith Schembri as conspirators — a direct accusation from inside the prison system aimed at the political elite.
- One brother refused to elaborate on his claims in court, was found in contempt by the judge, and was immediately ordered arrested — turning the witness stand itself into a scene of defiance and legal rupture.
- The other brother described a 2015 meeting in a bar where Cardona allegedly said outright 'I want you guys to kill Daphne,' named a price of €150,000, and claimed €50,000 changed hands in cash before the plot was temporarily abandoned.
- The journalist's own family urged caution, warning that allegations are not evidence and that the defence may be strategically redirecting blame away from the primary accused, Yorgen Fenech.
- The trial now balances on a knife's edge — whether explosive courtroom testimony from convicted assassins can shift the legal and moral weight of culpability, or whether it dissolves under the scrutiny of insufficient corroboration.
On Wednesday, inside the courts of justice in Valletta, the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech took a dramatic turn when Alfred and George Degiorgio — brothers who confessed to planting the car bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 and are now serving 40-year sentences — named two powerful former government officials as co-conspirators in her death: ex-economy minister Chris Cardona and Keith Schembri, who had served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Alfred was brought from prison to testify but refused to elaborate on his opening declaration that Cardona, Schembri, and a lawyer named David Gatt were "involved in the murder," citing a pending challenge at the European Court of Human Rights. Judge Edwina Grima found him in contempt and ordered his arrest.
George's afternoon testimony was far more detailed. He claimed the plot originated in 2015, when Gatt brought him to meet Cardona at a bar. There, he said, Cardona stated plainly that he wanted Caruana Galizia killed, explaining that she would "break our party." George quoted a price of €150,000; Cardona allegedly handed over €50,000 in cash days later. Surveillance of the journalist's home began but was abandoned when a police patrol appeared — after which Cardona allegedly assured him the patrols would stop, which George took as proof Cardona had spoken to the police commissioner.
The 2015 plan was ultimately called off, George testified, at Gatt's urging ahead of elections. He was told to keep the advance payment. George declined to speak directly about the 2017 killing, again citing his legal challenge, though he alleged Cardona and Schembri were behind that plot too. When pressed by prosecutors on why he had omitted these names from earlier sworn testimony, he grew agitated, shouted at the lawyer, then turned to address the jury directly: "Be careful." The judge fined him €500 for contempt; George demanded the fine be doubled.
Cardona, Schembri, and Gatt have all denied any involvement. Caruana Galizia's family, in a statement released the day before, urged restraint — noting that the defence appeared to be steering the jury toward alternative suspects, but that no sufficient evidence had yet been presented in court linking Schembri or Cardona to the assassination. The trial continues, with the question of who truly ordered the killing still unresolved.
Inside the courts of justice in Valletta on Wednesday, the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech took a sharp turn when two brothers who confessed to planting the car bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 named two powerful former government officials as conspirators in her death. Alfred and George Degiorgio, serving 40-year sentences for their role in the assassination, pointed directly at Chris Cardona, who had served as economy minister, and Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat—a position that made him Malta's most influential unelected official. They also named David Gatt, a lawyer associated with Cardona.
Alfred Degiorgio was brought from prison to testify. Before the questioning began, he made a stark declaration to the court: he said Cardona, Gatt, and Schembri were "involved in the murder." When pressed for details, he refused to answer, citing a pending challenge to his sentence at the European Court of Human Rights. The judge, Edwina Grima, found him in contempt and ordered his arrest, scheduling a hearing within 48 hours.
George Degiorgio's afternoon testimony painted a more detailed picture. He claimed the plot to kill Caruana Galizia began in 2015, not 2017, and that Cardona himself had given the orders. According to George's account, Gatt approached him at home and took him to meet Cardona at a bar, where Cardona allegedly said directly: "I want you guys to kill Daphne." When George asked who Daphne was, Cardona told him Gatt would explain. George said he quoted a price of €150,000 for the job. Cardona allegedly told him the conspiracy included himself, Schembri, "the commissioner"—presumably the police commissioner—and someone else whose name Cardona claimed not to know.
The motive, according to George's testimony, was straightforward: Cardona feared Caruana Galizia would "break our party." By 2015, the journalist had already published investigations into the Labour government that Muscat led after ending decades of Nationalist Party rule in 2013. George said that five days after this initial meeting, Cardona handed him €50,000 in cash. He claimed they then began surveillance of the journalist's home but stopped when a police patrol car passed their position. When George complained, Cardona allegedly returned to say police would no longer patrol that area—a reassurance George interpreted as evidence Cardona had spoken to the police commissioner.
The 2015 plot, George testified, was called off at Gatt's insistence. An election was coming, Gatt allegedly said, so they should stop everything. The only elections held in Malta that year were council and European Parliament elections in April. The plan, George claimed, had been to stop Caruana Galizia on the road and shoot her. When it was abandoned, Gatt told him to keep the €50,000, saying he would "sort it out."
George avoided discussing the actual 2017 killing, again citing his European Court challenge. But he alleged that Cardona and Schembri were behind that plot as well, claiming Cardona himself had confirmed this. When the prosecution lawyer pressed him on why he had not named the two men in connection with the 2017 murder during his previous sworn testimony, George became heated. He shouted at the lawyer and then turned to address the jury directly: "Be careful." Judge Grima found him in contempt of court and fined him €500. George responded by demanding the fine be raised to €1,000.
Cardona, Schembri, and Gatt have all previously denied any involvement in Caruana Galizia's death. The journalist's family released a statement on Tuesday cautioning against treating allegations as evidence. They noted that the defence appeared to be inviting the jury to consider whether someone other than Fenech was the true mastermind, but they emphasized: "No sufficient evidence has been presented in court showing that Keith Schembri or Chris Cardona paid for Daphne's assassination." The trial continues with the central question unresolved—whether the testimony of two confessed assassins will shift the focus of culpability or whether Fenech remains the primary figure responsible for ordering the killing.
Notable Quotes
Before I testify, I want to say that Chris Cardona, David Gatt and Keith Schembri are involved in the murder— Alfred Degiorgio, confessed assassin, to the court
In 2015, it was Chris Cardona who gave me the orders— George Degiorgio, confessed assassin, during testimony
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would two men serving 40-year sentences suddenly name these officials now, years after the crime?
They may have calculated that cooperation—or at least testimony—offers some advantage in their European Court challenge. Or they may simply be telling what they know. Prison changes the calculus of loyalty.
The €50,000 payment seems oddly specific. Do we know if that money was ever traced?
The testimony names it, but the family's statement is careful: allegations aren't evidence. No bank records, no witnesses to the handover, just George's word from a prison cell.
What strikes you about Cardona allegedly saying he didn't know the fourth conspirator's name?
It's the detail that makes it feel real—or rehearsed. A true conspirator wouldn't admit ignorance about who else was involved. Unless he was compartmentalizing, or unless George is inventing plausible gaps.
The police commissioner angle—if Cardona really had that kind of reach, why would the 2015 plot fail?
Elections. Gatt called it off because an election was coming. Sometimes power has limits, or sometimes the people holding it get nervous about exposure.
Why did George refuse to discuss the 2017 killing specifically?
Same reason Alfred did—the European Court case. But by naming Cardona and Schembri as involved in 2017 while avoiding details, he's making an accusation without testifying to it. It's a legal maneuver.
The family's statement seems skeptical of all this. Are they protecting someone?
They're protecting the integrity of the trial. They're saying: don't let allegations about Cardona and Schembri distract from whether Fenech actually ordered the killing. It's a warning against reasonable doubt being weaponized.