Joseph Muscat Addresses Fenech Verdict as Civil Society Rejects Exoneration Claims

2026-09-09T14:01:10.151+00:00 · Updated 2026-09-10T05:01:56.762+00:00

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addressed a press conference on Wednesday to respond publicly to the recent jury verdict in the case concerning businessman Yorgen Fenech. Speaking to reporters, Muscat remarked that he felt compelled to clear the air on matters he had carried for the past six years, expressing surprise at the final judicial outcome.

During the conference, Muscat asserted that the jury verdict had left him baffled, though he maintained that the legal process and the course of justice must be respected. He argued that upholding respect for court decisions does not prevent citizens or public figures from scrutinising them, contending that both positions can exist without contradiction.

Muscat also sought to distance himself from broader controversies surrounding major state contracts, insisting that the proceedings and the verdict were not linked to the controversial Electrogas power station deal. He addressed several points that had drawn public debate, describing his comments as a necessary clarification following extensive political and public commentary surrounding the trial.

The former prime minister's public remarks drew an immediate and sharp response from civil society. Rule-of-law organisation Repubblika issued a public statement condemning the press conference, firmly rejecting any suggestion that the former administration or Muscat himself had been vindicated by recent legal developments.

Repubblika accused Muscat of attempting to rewrite historical events surrounding the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The organisation stated that the outcome of Fenech's trial cannot be used to erase the documented institutional failings and political responsibility identified in the subsequent independent public inquiry.

The NGO stressed that the conclusion of specific criminal proceedings does not clear former political leaders of wider accountability. The group maintained that civil society would continue to challenge any political narrative seeking to rehabilitate officials whose tenure was marked by major governance crises.

Muscat resigned from the premiership in January 2020 following widespread national protests sparked by revelations in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation. The public inquiry concluded in 2021 that the state bore responsibility for creating an atmosphere of impunity that enabled the assassination.

During the briefing, former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat revealed that he had spoken directly to his successor, Prime Minister Robert Abela, ahead of addressing journalists. Muscat stated that he gave Abela advance notice of his intention to speak publicly, outlining the topics he planned to raise and cautioning that the event could carry broader political fallout.

Muscat also addressed his relationship with his former chief of staff, Keith Schembri, publicly retreating from the close loyalty that previously defined their political partnership. Addressing reporters on the aftermath of the verdict concerning Yorgen Fenech, the former prime minister insisted that he would now reserve his personal loyalty strictly for his wife and children rather than former political colleagues.

The remarks marked a noticeable departure from Muscat's longstanding defence of his closest aides during his tenure in Castille, as he sought to separate his current public interventions from past administrative ties.