Jurors in the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech heard the prosecution’s version of events today as proceedings into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia officially got underway.In his opening address, prosecutor Anthony Vella outlined the case the prosecution intends to prove, stressing that it is now up to the jury to assess the evidence presented throughout the trial.Day two has started, here’s what has been said so far.The alleged murder plotAccording to the prosecution, Fenech instructed middleman Melvin Theuma in April 2017 to find someone to kill Caruana Galizia because she was about to publish information concerning his uncle Ray Fenech.The prosecution said Theuma, who had become a trusted confidant of the Fenech family, approached and set up a meeting with Alfred Degiorgio.During their first meeting at their Marsa potato shed, Theuma allegedly told Degiorgio that someone wanted Caruana Galizia killed.According to the prosecution, Degiorgio’s immediate response was:“But will this man pay?”Jurors heard that a few days later, Degiorgio allegedly quoted a price of €150,000 for the assassination, a €30,000 upfront deposit, with the remaining €120,000 to be paid after the killing. The prosecution says Fenech approved the arrangement.The prosecution reminded the jurors that the alleged plot was temporarily put on hold when the 2017 snap general election was called.However, after the election, Fenech allegedly instructed Theuma to reactivate the plan and repeatedly pressured him to ensure the killing happened as quickly as possible because Caruana Galizia was preparing to publish information concerning him personally.Jurors heard that an initial €30,000 payment was allegedly handed over during a meeting at Busy Bee in Msida and split equally between Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat.Weeks of surveillanceAccording to the prosecution, the three men spent weeks monitoring Caruana Galizia’s movements around her home in Bidnija.Jurors heard that they allegedly purchased burner phones and SIM cards that could not access the internet in an attempt to avoid detection, while the bomb allegedly used in the assassination was procured from Robert Agius, Adrian Agius (tal-Maksar) and Jamie Vella.The bombingThe prosecution said the hitmen seized their opportunity during the night of 15th-16th October 2017, when they allegedly planted an explosive device beneath the driver’s seat of Caruana Galizia’s Peugeot 108.Jurors were told the bomb could be detonated remotely using a coded text message.According to the prosecution, shortly before 3pm on 16th October, Caruana Galizia left her Bidnija home for a bank appointment.Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat allegedly monitored her departure before informing George Degiorgio, who was on board his boat, Maya, outside the Grand Harbour.The prosecution alleges George Degiorgio then sent the coded text message that triggered the explosion which killed the journalist.The jury’s roleOpening proceedings, prosecutor Anthony Vella also explained how criminal investigations are conducted, telling jurors that evidence is first gathered through a magisterial inquiry before being presented during the trial.Pointing to stacks of archive boxes inside the courtroom, he said they contained years of evidence collected during the investigation, while reminding jurors that their verdict must be based solely on the testimony and evidence heard in court over the coming weeks.Read the full story here.•