Daphne Caruana Galizia
Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist assassinated in 2017.
Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia (born Vella; 26 August 1964 – 16 October 2017) was a Maltese writer, journalist, blogger, and anti-corruption activist. She covered political events in Malta and gained international recognition for her work on the Panama Papers and for being killed in a car bomb attack.
Her reporting focused on investigative journalism, exposing political corruption, nepotism, patronage, and alleged money laundering. She also looked into links between Malta’s online gambling industry and organized crime, the country’s citizenship-by-investment scheme, and payments from the government of Azerbaijan. Her reputation, both at home and abroad, came from her consistent coverage of misconduct by Maltese politicians and other politically exposed individuals.
Despite facing intimidation, threats, libel suits, and other legal actions, Caruana Galizia kept publishing for decades. She was arrested twice by the Malta Police Force. She started her personal blog, *Running Commentary*, in 2008, where she published her investigations. She also wrote a regular column for *The Sunday Times of Malta* and later for *The Malta Independent*. Her blog mixed investigative reporting with commentary, some of which was seen as personal attacks, leading to several legal disputes. In 2016 and 2017, she revealed sensitive information and allegations about several Maltese politicians, including those tied to the Panama Papers scandal.
On 16 October 2017, Caruana Galizia was assassinated near her home when a bomb exploded inside her car. The attack drew widespread local and international condemnation. In December 2017, three men were arrested in connection with the bombing. On 20 November 2019, police arrested Yorgen Fenech, owner of the Dubai-based company 17 Black, on his yacht, in connection with her murder. Fenech now faces criminal charges related to 17 Black, following a magisterial inquiry into plans for the company to secretly pay millions to government figures named in the Panama Papers through offshore structures.
In April 2018, an international group of 45 journalists launched *The Daphne Project*, a collaboration to finish Caruana Galizia’s investigative work. The GUE/NGL Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers & Defenders of the Right to Information was established in 2018 in her honor.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Daphne Anne Vella
- Birth Date
- 26 August 1964
- Birth Place
- Sliema, Crown Colony of Malta
- Death Date
- 16 October 2017 · 1964 · 8 · 26
- Death Place
- Bidnija, Malta
- Death Cause
- Assassination (car bomb attack)
- Education
- University of Malta
- Years Active
- 1987–2017
- Spouse
- Peter Caruana Galizia · 1985
- Children
- 3
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Daphne Anne Vella was born on 26 August 1964 in Sliema, Malta, the eldest of four daughters of businessman Michael Alfred Vella and Rose Marie Vella. She was educated at St Dorothy's Convent and St Aloysius' College, later earning a BA (Hons) in archaeology from the University of Malta. In 1985, she married lawyer Peter Caruana Galizia, and the couple had three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Paul. The family moved from Sliema to Bidnija in 1990.
Caruana Galizia began her career as a news reporter for The Sunday Times of Malta in 1987, later becoming a columnist for that paper and The Malta Independent. In March 2008, she launched her blog Running Commentary, which became one of the most popular websites in Malta, regularly attracting over 400,000 views. She also founded and edited the lifestyle magazines Taste and Flair, later merged into Taste&Flair. Despite intimidation, threats, libel suits, and two arrests, she continued publishing for decades. Her investigations covered political corruption, nepotism, money laundering, Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme, and payments from the government of Azerbaijan.
Reader's Guide
Daphne Caruana Galizia's significance lies in her role as a pioneering investigative journalist who exposed high-level corruption in Malta, particularly through her coverage of the Panama Papers. She was the first to report that Maltese minister Konrad Mizzi and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's chief of staff Keith Schembri had connections to Panama and New Zealand, revelations later confirmed by the Panama Papers leak. Her work prompted international attention and was described by Politico as making her a 'one-woman WikiLeaks.' Her assassination on 16 October 2017 drew widespread condemnation and led to arrests, including that of Yorgen Fenech in 2019. In April 2018, an international consortium of 45 journalists published The Daphne Project to complete her investigative work. The GUE/NGL Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers & Defenders of the Right to Information was established in 2018 in her honour. Her legacy continues through the foundation that publishes Taste&Flair and through ongoing legal proceedings related to her murder.
Did You Know?
- She was arrested at age 18 for participating in anti-government protests; the arresting officer, Angelo Farrugia, later became Speaker of the Parliament of Malta.
- Her blog Running Commentary regularly attracted over 400,000 views, more than the combined circulation of Malta's newspapers.
- Her last blog post before her death ended with the line 'there are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.'
- The Daphne Project, a collaboration of 45 journalists, was launched in April 2018 to complete her investigative work.
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