Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but cleared a former top adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a public prosecutor said Monday.
There was no evidence against Saud al-Qahtani, Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaalan al-Shaalan announced in a televised press conference Monday. A court also dismissed charges against Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy intelligence chief, and Mohammed al-Otaibi, Saudi's consul general in Istanbul when the murder took place, he said.
Al-Qahtani and al-Otaibi were sanctioned a year ago by the US Treasury for their alleged involvement in the murder.
Both al-Qahtani and al-Assiri were part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's inner circle and were relieved of their duties in the immediate aftermath of Khashoggi's killing in October 2018.
"Saud al-Qahtani was questioned by the public prosecution and was not charged because there was no evidence against him," al-Shaalan said.
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Reading preliminary rulings for 11 people who have been investigated by Saudi Arabia, al-Shaalan said five others who took part in the murder had been sentenced to death. Another three people face a total of 24 years in prison for covering up the murder and violating regulations. He did not reveal any of their names.
CNN.
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