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Maksar gang found guilty of supplying bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia
Jurors deliver their verdict against Adrian and Robert Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio
5 June 2025, 6:58pm
Jaelle Borg
Jaelle Borg
2 min read
Jurors have decided their verdict on the trial against the Maksar brothers and their associates, who are accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia and Carmel Chircop.
Jurors settled the verdict less than 24 hours into deliberations.
George Degiorgio and Jamie Vella were both found guilty of the wilful homicide of Carmel Chircop, with Vella’s verdict reached by a 7-2 majority.
Adrian Agius was also found guilty (7-2) of complicity in Chircop’s murder, while Robert Agius was acquitted of that charge (6-3). Degiorgio and Vella were further convicted (7-2) of possessing a firearm during the crime and carrying a weapon without a valid licence.
In relation to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, both Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were found guilty (8-1) of complicity in the murder, complicity in the explosion that caused her death, and possession of dangerous explosives.
Degiorgio had an outburst in the courtroom after the decision was read out. "I'll tell you where I got the bomb from," he shouted. "You've made a bad mistake." We don't know who he shouted this at.
The prosecution's case was built largely on the testimony of Vincent Muscat, known as "il-Koħħu", a self-confessed hitman who struck a deal with the state in 2021. Muscat, in return for a reduced sentence and presidential pardon, provided detailed testimony that tied the accused to both crimes.
The defense mounted an aggressive challenge against the validity of Muscat’s presidential pardon, arguing it was politically motivated and unjustly prejudiced the case.
Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are representing the Attorney General’s office.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is appearing for Adrian Agius, Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia for Jamie Vella, Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin representing Robert Agius, and Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri for George Degiorgio.
Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.
Jaelle Borg is a first-year criminology student at the University of Malta, and is a Malta...
Court sitting over
The court sitting is over for today. We will be wrapping up this live blog here. Thank you for following today's session with us, and thank you if you have been following the trial with us over the past month. It has been a pleasure to bring our readers into the courtroom with us to hear every detail of the case. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for the latest news in Malta.
The judge will deliver her sentence next Tuesday at 11am.
The jurors have been brought into the courtroom again. The judge thanks the jury and tells them they will be exempted from jury duty for the rest of their life.
None of the lawyers will be contesting the verdicts.
Court is in session
After a long wait, the court is back in action. The jurors are not in the courtroom for now.
Caruana Galizia family reacts
The family of Daphne Caruana Galizia has published a statement reacting to the verdict.
"Today’s verdict [...] brings us a step closer to justice and we are grateful to everyone who has brought this case to a successful conclusion," said Corinne Vella, Daphne Caruana Galizia's sister.
"We have heard many people speak during the weeks-long trial, but we will never see or hear Daphne again. All the dreams she had were shattered when she was killed, aged just 53, on 16 October 2017. Yet, eight years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed. It is unconscionable that Malta’s law enforcement and justice systems are still putting people’s lives at risk."
Opposition leader Bernard Grech has also reacted to the verdict, saying the courts are doing their job. "Now it's time for the government to do its job and make sure that this never happens again."
He said the government has a duty to implement the recommendations from the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. "Since the Inquiry concluded that a culture of impunity fostered by the government led to the murder, these recommendations must be implemented without delay."
What's next?
The court sitting was supposed to be suspended until 7:45pm, but 45 minutes have passed and the sitting is still suspended.
Now that the jurors have delivered their verdict, the judge will have to decide the sentence that will be handed to each of the accused. It's unclear whether that will happen tonight or tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, the defence team is deciding whether or not to appeal the verdict. The sitting was suspended to give them a chance to discuss the matter.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has also weighed in on the verdict. She posted on Facebook, saying the country is only now starting to see justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia. "Tomorrow, our fight for justice, for the full truth, will continue."
The Maksar brothers, or the "untouchable" siblings
Adrian and Robert Agius were no stranger to the criminal underworld before this. They are the sons of Raymond Agius 'tal-Maksar', a suspected contraband cigarette smuggler who was shot dead in 2008 in what is believed to have been a hit ordered by a rival smuggler.
The Agius brothers and Jamie Vella had been among 10 people arrested in December 2017 during police raids carried out in connection to the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder. The three were released and never charged but George Degiorgio, brother Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat were arraigned over the murder and years later admitted to it.
It was Muscat who identified the Agius brothers to police as the people who supplied them with the bomb to kill Caruana Galizia.
To read more about the Agius brothers:
Malta’s mystery: gangland wars and no justice
Explainer | The Carmel Chircop murder and the Maksar brothers arrest
Murdered lawyer gave More Supermarket directors €750,000 interest-free loan
More supermarket debt: Schembri and ‘Maksar’ ruse to claw back millions
Reactions to the verdict are starting to trickle in. Nationalist MEP David Casa has already posted his take on X, saying the verdict brings Malta closer to securing justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia. "Now we must see convictions for those that masterminded the murder and covered it up," he said.
What's happened so far
George Degiorgio and Jamie Vella were both found guilty of the wilful homicide of Carmel Chircop, with Vella’s verdict reached by a 7-2 majority. Adrian Agius was also found guilty (7-2) of complicity in Chircop’s murder, while Robert Agius was acquitted of that charge (6-3). Degiorgio and Vella were further convicted (7-2) of possessing a firearm during the crime and carrying a weapon without a valid licence. In relation to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, both Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were found guilty (8-1) of complicity in the murder, complicity in the explosion that caused her death, and possession of dangerous explosives.
Degiorgio had an outburst in the courtroom after the decision was read out. "I'll tell you where I got the bomb from," he shouted. "You've made a bad mistake." We don't know who he shouted this at.
The sitting has been postponed until 7:45pm.
A summary of the verdict
Count 1: Wilful homicide of Carmel Chircop
George Degiorgio: Guilty
Jamie Vella: Guilty (7-2)
Count 2: Complicity in the murder of Carmel Chircop
Adrian Agius: Guilty (7-2)
Robert Agius: Not guilty (6-3)
Count 3: Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
George Degiorgio: Guilty (7-2)
Jamie Vella: Guilty (7-2)
Count 4: Carrying a weapon without a valid licence
George Degiorgio: Guilty (7-2)
Jamie Vella: Guilty (7-2)
Count 5: Complicity in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Robert Agius: Guilty (8-1)
Jamie Vella: Guilty (8-1)
Count 6: Complicity in the explosion that caused the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Robert Agius: Guilty (8-1)
Jamie Vella: Guilty (8-1)
Count 7: Possessing dangerous explosives
Robert Agius: Guilty (8-1)
Jamie Vella: Guilty (8-1)
Robert Agius and Jamie Vella have also been found guilty of possessing dangerous explosives.
Robert Agius and Jamie Vella has been found guilty of complicity in the explosion that caused Caruana Galizia's death.
Robert Agius has been found guilty of complicity in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder. Jamie Vella is guilty too.
Adrian Agius is guilty of complicity in the murder. His brother Robert has been acquitted.
George Degiorgio is screaming in the courtroom. "I'll tell you where I got the bomb," he says. "You made a big mistake." It's unclear who he's shouting at exactly.
Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio have been found guilty of murdering Carmel Chircop.
The judge and jurors have entered the courtroom.
The visitors' gallery is packed with people, including members of the Caruana Galizia family. The four men accused of the murders are already in the courtroom, waiting for the jurors to deliver their fate.
Jurors started deliberating this morning, having reached their decision in just nine hours. They have been on jury duty for almost a month and a half now.
This trial was especially unique as it concerned two murders unrelated to each other, or related at least only through the people who were allegedly behind them.
Good evening and welcome to our live blog. Jurors have reached a verdict in the Maksar gang murder trial. MaltaToday court reporter Jaelle Borg is in the courtroom, packed with others curious to hear the jurors' decision.