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In Valletta on January 24, a Maltese court granted bail to Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman accused of complicity in the 2017 murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, who had been in custody since November 2019, hugged his family members in court following the judge's decision. Despite undergoing pre-trial proceedings for years, no trial date has been scheduled yet. Fenech denies the charges.

The court prohibited Fenech from approaching within 50 meters of Malta's coast or airport, mandated the surrender of his passport and identity papers, and assigned a probation officer to supervise him. Fenech's aunt, serving as his guarantor, was required to deposit a substantial sum with the court.

Additionally, Fenech was instructed not to contact prosecution witnesses, especially a self-confessed middleman turned state witness. Previous bail requests were denied due to concerns from prosecutors about flight risk and evidence tampering. In contrast, Fenech's defense lawyers argued that he met all the legal requisites for bail and highlighted his five years of incarceration without incident while maintaining his innocence.