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On the steps of the courts of justice in Valletta, there is a bronze statue of Malta’s late president. A bundle of papers in one hand, Guido de Marco stands on a plinth, looking out at passersby in the busy street below.

Every morning since Wednesday this week, his daughter has walked up the steps of the same courthouse, in dark glasses and smart clothes, a bundle of papers in her hand. A sought-after criminal lawyer, Giannella de Marco is representing the man accused of ordering the 2017 murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in a case that continues to dominate public debate nearly nine years after the event.

The man she is defending, Yorgen Fenech, is another establishment figure. If Malta has an equivalent to the Trump dynasty, the Fenechs are it. Their firm runs several Hilton hotels and it owns the Portomaso tower, the island’s second tallest structure.

For Caruana Galizia’s family, a gruelling fight against the powerful and well-connected has taken place since the car bombing that ended her life. The journalist had made enemies at the very highest levels through her investigations. In a deeply polarised society, she had become a target of frequent attacks by government supporters.

In a statement this week, the nonprofit group Reporters Without Borders described the Fenech trial as “historic” and an “emblematic European case”, a reminder that eyes outside Malta are watching.

Herman Grech, editor-in-chief of the Times of Malta, says the scandal has resonated far beyond its shores. His play about the scandal, They Blew Her Up, has toured Europe, filling theatres.

“This is undoubtedly the most consequential trial we’ve had in the 21st century,” he said. “The murder of Daphne was the biggest shock of my generation. We had seen other car bombs, but when it targets one of your own, it’s terrifying. It did bring down one of Malta’s most popular prime ministers.”

Caruana Galizia’s biggest scoops concerned members of the government of Joseph Muscat, a young politician who had returned the Labour party to power after years in opposition. In 2019, amid concerns about political interference in the police investigation, and shortly after Fenech’s arrest, Muscat resigned.

The family secured a public inquiry, which ran for 18 months and concluded, in July 2021, that the state had allowed “an atmosphere of impunity” to spread from the highest level of government to regulators and the police, leading to a collapse in the rule of law and creating a “favourable climate” for the murder.

Their foundation has set up a news publisher, Amphora Media, and the family has capitalised on public attention to push for greater safeguards for journalists, making it harder to use the law to silence reporting of genuine public interest. Caruana Galizia was facing 43 civil and five criminal libel suits at the time of her assassination. On the day she died, she was on her way to the bank to arrange some payments because her accounts had been frozen as part of the legal proceedings.

In Brussels, the Maltese MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola – now in her second term as president of the European parliament – campaigned with the family to secure new legislation designed to allow judges to dismiss the most abusive libel claims before they reach trial.

The ripples have been felt as far as the UK, where Labour and Conservative politicians have called for similar measures, and two private members’ bills are being brought forward, one in the Lords and one in the Commons.

Back in Malta, the trial has revived interest in the case. But conspiracy theories abound on social media, and many feel as though they have lost the thread, leaving them unsure of who or what to believe. While Caruana Galizia never wrote about Fenech, she was investigating him when she was killed, and the police have said they believe this was the motive for the murder.

Fenech denies any involvement in the crime, and his lawyers have claimed he was framed.

Years later, the case still divides public opinion and some remain openly hostile to Caruana Galizia’s memory. “Most people are happy she was got rid of,” said Albert, a barman in Valletta. “The people want to put it behind them. For the people the case is solved, it was solved efficiently.”

While Muscat resigned, his party retains many supporters. Labour secured a historic fourth term in a snap election held in May under Muscat’s successor, Robert Abela.

Abela was this week forced to deny the date for the vote was chosen in order to get ahead of any fallout from whatever happens in court. Sources say what the government fears most is that the trial, delayed multiple times, will collapse on a technicality. It is a chapter they wish to see closed.

For now, the jury continues to hear the evidence.

“We’ve waited a long time for this trial to begin,” said the journalist’s sister, Corinne Vella. “Our family has learned to be prepared for anything, but the evidence against the accused is simply overwhelming which gives us real hope we’ll finally see justice for Daphne’s murder.”