It has been just under five years since Yorgen Fenech was charged with complicity in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the court case is still ongoing.

The murder suspect now believes he has spent longer in prison without bail than any crime suspect in Maltese history.

His lawyer Charles Mercieca told Lovin Malta that the record was likely previously held by Meinrad Calleja, who spent just under five years in custody after he was charged with the attempted murder of the Prime Minister’s personal secretary Richard Cachia Caruana in 1994.

After that time period, Calleja was convicted to prison for drug trafficking and eventually cleared of attempted homicide.

Fenech’s lawyers noted this record when filing his 16th bail request yesterday. Previous requests have been turned down due to the court’s concerns over tampering of evidence and disturbance of public order.

His lawyers are insisting that their client has clean criminal record and is willing to abide by any conditions, including electronic tagging and house arrest, besides signing the bail book and guarantees.

Fenech’s 2019 arrest stunned Malta and triggered a political crisis that led to major street protests and the resignation of several prominent politicians and public officials, including Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, Chris Cardona, and former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar.

However, the case has proceeded at a snail’s pace and a trial date still hasn’t been set. The compilation of evidence process was originally closed in 2021 but had to be reopened last year to allow further witnesses to testify.

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