Daphne Caruana Galizia screamed in panic before explosion that killed her, court hears

Moments before the explosion that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia, the journalist screamed in panic, a witness has told the trial of the man accused of ordering her murder.

Caruana Galizia was killed in 2017 by a remotely detonated bomb placed under the driver’s seat of her car, after writing a series of reports on political and financial corruption in Malta. The government’s handling of the investigation led to mass protests and ultimately to the resignation of the Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat.

Yorgen Fenech, the heir to a property and hotels fortune, is one of seven men accused by prosecutors of involvement in the killing, and the last to face trial. A jury was sworn in last week after a tortuous legal process and nearly nine years after her death. Fenech faces a life sentence if convicted.

On Thursday, the court was told about the moment Caruana Galizia died, by a neighbour who witnessed it.

The journalist had just left her house in the village of Bidnija and turned on to the main road. The neighbour, Francis Sant, was driving in the opposite direction and saw her coming towards him.

“I realised that from the person inside it – I felt that something had happened to her. She appeared panicked.”

Sant said he stopped his car, then he described what appears to have been a two-stage explosion. The first detonation left the victim conscious and in fear for her life, he said.

“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.

“When that first spark happened. I think she either felt something, maybe the bomb device activating. She realised something was very wrong.

“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.”

Sant said he got out of his car but did not immediately call emergency services.

“I knew there was no hope. I didn’t even think of my phone.”

The court also heard from several police officers, who were among the first on the scene.

Sgt Susanne Mifsud, who arrived 20 minutes after the explosion, described what she saw when she reached the field where Caruna Galizia’s car had ended up.

“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. I started taking details. I noticed a number plate ... Further up, there were a large amount of the victim’s body parts.”

The court fell quiet as jurors were shown photographs of the scene by Insp Kevin Manicolo.

There were images of the victim’s burned body, showing how it was removed from the vehicle and placed on a white sheet.

Aerial photos showed a crater in the road, marking the location of the explosion.

Fenech, who is on trial for complicity in the voluntary homicide of Caruana Galizia, denies the charges. The trial continues.

Transcription and translation by Amphora Media