Times Talk by Times of Malta

At the end of an intense trial that lasted over two months, the nation held its breath on Wednesday evening as the jury announced a verdict that acquitted Yorgen Fenech of all charges over the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, by eight votes to one.

Reactions, comments and protests stretched late into the night. And the morning after the verdict Clara Farrugia sat down with Mark Laurence Zammit to unpack what happened during the ver...

Editorial note: A version of this episode with English subtitles will be available on the Times of Malta YouTube channel

As the trial of Yorgen Fenech approaches its end, Clara Farrugia answers some of the many questions readers have sent us about this trial.

Is any vote by jurors valid? If Fenech is acquitted, will Melvin Theuma be charged with perjury? Why don't courts use lie detectors during trials?

Herman Grech hosts this episode...

A version of this show with English subtitles will be published on the Times of Malta YouTube channel.

Yorgen Fenech is the man in the dock. This past week, he was the man on the witness stand, too.

The Tumas Group heir and business magnate spent four days testifying in his own trial, as he seeks to defend himself from charges of complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech said many things while testifying. ...

One of the biggest and most consequential criminal trials in history almost fell apart on Friday.

After 45 days of intense hearings, the defence demanded the judge dissolves the trial of Yorgen Fenech after court was told that the jurors had access to news headlines about the trial.

In the short time judge Edwina Grima allowed herself to come to a decision, court reporter Clara Farrugia left Hall 22 to sit down for the weekly Times T...

When the live blogs from the trial of Yorgen Fenech went silent on Friday, social media was flooded with people asking why no journalist would tell them what was going on.

In this special episode of Times Talk, court reporter Clara Farrugia and Mark Laurence Zammit unpack all that happened when Yorgen Fenech, the judge, witnesses and all jurors, lawyers and journalists visited the sites connected to the murder of Daphne Caruana Gali...

The taxi driver who says Yorgen Fenech paid him €150,000 to have Daphne Caruana Galizia spent five gruelling days on the witness stand this week, answering questions from prosecutors and defence lawyers.

Melvin Theuma - the pardoned middleman who is the prosecution's star witness in the case - had a lot to say.

Mark Laurence Zammit and Clara Farrugia unpack a week's worth of blistering testimony in one of the most important criminal ...

From WhatsApp chats and an infamous video to a huge Electrogas investigation, a lot happened this week

A week is a long time in politics, they say, and so it seems in the trial of Yorgen Fenech as well. A lot has happened in court this week, and Times Talk unpacks it all in the latest episode about the murder trial.

Court reporter Clara Farrugia and journalist Mark Laurence Zammit go over the heartbreaking testimony of Daphne Caruana...

In June 2025, a retired Maltese bishop caused a stir when he said on TV that abuse victims should first be encouraged to forgive their abusers before going to the police.

As backlash grew, George Frendo apologised, saying he had not meant that forgiveness should substitute reporting such crimes to authorities.

But the bishop’s initial statement left its mark on one woman. They were the same words Frendo had told her years ago, ...

The latest episode of Times Talk unpacks the last two days of Keith Schembri's testimony during the trial of Yorgen Fenech earlier this week.

In the 30-minute episode, court reporter Clara Farrugia and Mark Laurence Zammit take a deep dive into some of the toughest questions the former OPM chief of staff faced from Yorgen Fenech lawyer Giannella de Marco.

How did police find Schembri and Fenech when they arrested them? What was the t...

Times Talk on the trial of Yorgen Fenech usually comes out on the weekend and includes a run-down of all that happened that week.

But as former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri took the witness stand on Tuesday, things got heated and prompted this mid-week episode about what happened before and during his testimony.

How is Yorgen Fenech reacting to all of this in the courtroom, and what is the atmosphere like in the room at this sta...

It was a week of claims, counterclaims and secret recordings as the fourth week of the Yorgen Fenech trial drew to a close.

Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and editor-in-chief Herman Grech sat down for a new episode of Times Talk to unpack the latest courtroom drama gripping the country.

At the centre of the week’s proceedings was Johann Cremona, a business associate of Fenech, who spent four days on the witness st...

As the third week of Yorgen Fenech's trial comes to a close, Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and editor-in-chief Herman Grech sat down for a new Times Talk episode to unpack the details of the courtroom drama that is gripping the country.

Among the most chilling moments in Hall 22 this week was the testimony of Alfred and George Degiorgio, two of the three convicted hitmen, who linked Keith Schembri and Chris Cardona t...

As the second week of Yorgen Fenech's trial comes to a close, Times of Malta court reporter Clara Farrugia and Mark Laurence Zammit sit down for a new Times Talk episode to unpack the details of the courtroom drama that is gripping the nation.

Among the most chilling moments this week was the testimony of Frans Sant, the last man to see Daphne Caruana Galizia alive. Sant shared a heartbreaking account of her final seconds, describin...

The trial of Yorgen Fenech, who is charged in connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, is one of the most consequential criminal trials in Malta's history.

Three days into the proceedings, Mark Laurence Zammit sits down with Times of Malta's court correspondent Clara Farrugia to unpack the prosecution's opening case, explain how the jury was selected and discuss what to expect in the weeks ahead.

Times of Malta will brin...

The country's going to the polls in less than 48 hours, and this latest episode of Times Talk is an essential guide for the perplexed.

It breaks down the mechanics of Malta’s electoral system - one of the most democratic, yet complex, in the world.

Our speakers trace where your vote will go from the moment you slide it in the ballot box on Saturday till all MPs are elected next week.

But the episode also uncovers the lid on a se...

With just over a week remaining before Maltese voters head to the polls to choose Malta's next prime minister, the latest episode of Times Talk delves into the science and controversy behind political polling, as current surveys continue to indicate a significant lead for the Labour Party.

Times of Malta fact-checker Neville Borg and Esprimi CEO Morgan Parnis joined the podcast. Borg gives an overview of what the polls are...

It is very worrying the the election campaign has, so far, almost entirely revolved around 'what's in it for me', according to political analysts Lou Bondi and Michelle Attard Tonna.

The two were speaking on the latest episode of Times Talk Campaign Watch during which they dissected the third week of the election campaign.

The lavish promises are creating a sense of entitlement in people while making it very hard for the next prime m...

The second week of Malta’s 2026 general election campaign sparked its first controversies. As Labour leader Robert Abela and Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg make their political pitches, mainly through cash bonanzas, are the country’s (medium-to-long term) problems being ignored?

In this episode of Times Talk, Times of Malta editor-in-chief Herman Grech sits down with former Labour deputy leader and president Daniel M...