George Degiorgio Says He Only Pleaded Guilty To Caruana Galizia Murder To Avoid Life Sentence

George Degiorgio, one of the two brothers jailed for 40 years after pleading guilty to the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, has told a judge during a Constitutional case that they had only admitted guilt to avoid the other option – a life sentence.

“I admitted to Caruana Galizia murder to avoid life sentence”

Degiorgio and his brother Alfred were sentenced to 40 years in jail in November 2022 after pleading guilty to the murder at the start of their trial by jury.

However, barely two weeks after their admission, they filed an appeal application, demanding a retrial as well as a Constitutional case, claiming that their fair trial rights had been breached because they had been represented by legal-aid lawyers, who were “hired by the State”, after the Prime Minister had described them as criminals.

During George Degiorgio’s testimony, he claimed that due to the lack of time given to their legal aid counsel Simon Micallef Stafrace to prepare for the trial, they were facing an almost certain loss in court.

At that point, Stafrace allegedly told George that he had two options: lose the trial and face life imprisonment, or admit to the crime and get a reduced sentence.

Degiorgio claimed that he repeatedly attempted to talk to his brother Alfred but received no response. He also explained how the decision to plead guilty was made on the fly as he felt he had no other options available.