Brothers sentenced to 40 years in prison each for murder of Maltese journalist Daphe Caruana Galizia

Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was a household name in Malta for her investigative reporting

Four people have now admitted to taking part in the murder of Daphne Galizia (AP)

Two brothers have been jailed for 40 years each for the car bomb murder of Maltese journalist Daphe Caruana Galizia.

Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was a household name in Malta for her investigative reporting, which uncovered corruption.

“There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate,” she wrote just hours before she was killed on 16 October 2017.

She wrote on her website ‘Running Commentary’ about suspected corruption in Maltese political and business circles.

,The two brothers, George and Alfred Degiorgio, were sentenced on the first day of their trial. They submitted “not guilty” pleas when the case opened earlier in the day, but after a break, their lawyers said that they had agreed to acknowledge guilt in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

The wreckage of the car of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia lies next to a road in the town of Mosta, Malta (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Following the sentencing, the office of Malta’s prime minister Robert Abela said: “This is an important step forward, to deliver justice in a case that represents a dark chapter in Malta’s history.”

One of her sons, Matthew Caruana Galizia, said: “I’m relieved that they have been convicted and sentenced. Now it’s about the remaining cases.”

Prosecutors allege that the two brothers were hired by a top Maltese businessman with government ties.

A third suspect in the murder, Vincent Muscat, changed his plea to guilty earlier and is now serving a 15 year sentence.

Four people have now admitted to taking part in the murder. A fifth man, Yorgen Fenech, is awaiting a trial.