BIDNIJA — Yorgen Fenech is on trial in Malta, accused of complicity in the voluntary homicide of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who died in 2017. A jury was sworn in last week, with witness testimony and forensic evidence presented in court.

Caruana Galizia was killed on October 16, 2017, by a remotely detonated bomb placed under the driver's seat of her car. She had just left her house in Bidnija and was turning onto the main road at the time of the incident.

Francis Sant, a neighbor, testified during the trial that he was driving in the opposite direction and saw Caruana Galizia approaching. Sant stated, "I realised that from the person inside it – I felt that something had happened to her. She appeared panicked." He added, "She wasn't right. I thought, what's wrong with her? A few seconds passed – things happened so fast. I saw the first spark, under her car, like a festa [celebration] firework going off. She was still conscious. I heard her scream. Her window was open, maybe in panic she tried to roll down her window and get out."

Sant further described the event, saying, "Then, a big explosion came out through the windscreen. The car went out of control. The second explosion tore it apart. It flew into the field, where another fireball formed. The car was literally shredded."

Sgt Susanne Mifsud arrived at the scene 20 minutes after the explosion. Mifsud said, "When I arrived on scene, I could see the victim's car in the field on the left-hand side. It was a total loss. It had a roof that was blown up. This wasn't a simple fire. It was a bomb." She added, "Further up, there were a large amount of the victim's body parts." Insp Kevin Manicolo showed jurors photographs of the scene, including images of Caruana Galizia's burned body removed from the vehicle and placed on a white sheet. Aerial photos displayed in court showed a crater in the road where the explosion occurred.

Fenech is one of seven men accused by prosecutors of involvement in Caruana Galizia's killing and is the last of the accused to face trial. He denies the charges against him and faces a life sentence if convicted. The trial is ongoing.

Caruana Galizia wrote reports on political and financial corruption in Malta. Her death in 2017 led to mass protests, which resulted in the resignation of Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.