Marmarà Rejects Claims Pre-Trial Survey Targeted Jurors in Fenech Case

2026-09-06T08:00:40.926+00:00 · Updated 2026-09-06T11:00:29.859+00:00

Controversy has erupted over a telephone survey carried out ahead of the trial of Yorgen Fenech, with sharp disagreements emerging over whether members of the jury pool were contacted.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi, who represented the family of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia as parte civile, revealed that he had raised concerns directly with the presiding judge during proceedings. He stated that dozens of people had been reached by a telephone poll conducted by statistician Vincent Marmarà, which he argued canvassed individuals summoned for potential jury service.

Azzopardi indicated that the exercise raised serious questions about external influence on the judicial process, leading him to submit an alert to the court prior to the jury's verdict.

Marmarà categorically denied the claims, describing allegations that prospective jurors were deliberately targeted as completely false. In a public rebuttal, he stated that several inaccurate assertions had been published concerning his research work.

The statistician maintained that his sampling adhered to standard professional methods and was never designed to identify or reach anyone involved in the judicial proceedings. He rejected any suggestion of misconduct.

The exchange follows widespread public discussion surrounding the recent conclusion of the criminal proceedings and the handling of the long-running prosecution.

Momentum leader and university professor Arnold Cassola has formally asked the University of Malta to open an investigation into statistician Vincent Marmarà regarding his involvement in the pre-trial survey.

Cassola submitted a request to the university rector urging an inquiry into Marmarà's conduct. The controversy stems from reports that an opinion poll, commissioned by Yorgen Fenech's uncle Ray Fenech prior to the murder trial, had made contact with individuals eligible to serve on the jury.

Marmarà has strongly rejected allegations of improper conduct, insisting that the survey was conducted as standard opinion research and did not target potential jurors.