Joseph Fenech, better known as Żeppi l-Ħafi, has passed away at the age of 71.Fenech was one of the most controversial figures in Malta’s criminal and political history, becoming a household name through a series of high-profile court cases spanning several decades.He first came to national prominence in 1996 when he was granted a presidential pardon in connection with the attempted murder of Richard Cachia Caruana, who at the time served as personal assistant to former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami.Fenech had previously worked as a bodyguard for Fenech Adami during the 1980s. The pardon, granted by former President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici on the recommendation of Fenech Adami, was conditional on Fenech cooperating with investigators and testifying in court.Although he provided evidence and identified businessman Meinrad Calleja as the alleged mastermind behind the plot, the testimony was not sufficient to secure a conviction.In 2009, Fenech successfully invoked the same presidential pardon in relation to two other pending cases involving alleged cocaine trafficking and burglary. All three cases were subsequently dropped.Over the years, he was also acquitted in several other high-profile proceedings, including fraud charges linked to a failed property transaction in Burmarrad and a separate case involving alleged damage to a vehicle and slight injuries sustained by a man during an altercation.Fenech remained a widely recognised and often divisive figure in Maltese public life long after the cases that brought him into the national spotlight.His funeral is set to be held on Tuesday.Photos: Talk News•