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- The children of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi are being compensated for their father’s death with large sums of money and expensive houses, The Washington Post reported Monday.
- Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, was dismembered in October 2018 by a team of Saudi operatives inside the country’s embassy in Istanbul. The murder prompted a global outcry among human-rights activists and others, and led some countries and businesses to distance themselves from the Kingdom.
- Officials told the Post that the arrangements are part of an effort by the Saudi government to reach a long-term agreement with the Khashoggi family and to ensure they temper their public statements about Khashoggi’s death.
- In the six months since their father’s death, Khashoggi family members have made few public appearances and have not commented on the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s alleged involvement in the murder plot.
The children of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi are being compensated for their father’s death with large sums of money and expensive houses, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, was dismembered in October 2018 by a team of Saudi operatives inside the country’s embassy in Istanbul. The murder prompted global outcry from human-rights activists and others and led some countries and businesses to distance themselves from the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia acknowledged the killing in October and said it fired five top officials and arrested 18 Saudis as part of the initial investigation into the murder. Still, trials against the remaining 11 suspects have been shrouded in secrecy, and names of the defendants and the charges against them have not been disclosed publicly. It is not known whether Khashoggi’s remains have been recovered.
Sources told The Post that Khashoggi’s two sons and two daughters have received million-dollar houses in Saudi Arabia along with "monthly five-figure payments" after their father’s death. The children may also receive millions of dollars more in what The Post’s unnamed sources described as "blood money" as the trials against the accused killers are expected to finish up in the coming months.
Saudi officials told The Post that the arrangements are part of an effort by the Saudi government to reach a long-term agreement with the Khashoggi family and to ensure that they temper their public statements about Khashoggi going forward.
Another Saudi official who spoke to The Post denied that the payments were made with an agenda, and said they were part of the Kingdom’s "custom and culture" of offering financial support to victims of a violent crime.
In the six months since their father’s death Khashoggi family members have made few public appearances and have not commented on the crown prince’s alleged involvement in the murder plot.
In October, Khashoggi’s eldest son Salah was photographed shaking hands with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is widely suspected of orchestrating the killing.
In November, Khashoggi’s two sons spoke publicly for the first time to CNN following their father’s death, issuing an emotional plea for the return of their father’s remains while expressing confidence in the Saudi establishment to bring those involved in the murder to justice.
In the same month, Khashoggi’s two daughters wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which they praised their father’s legacy but did not criticize the Saudi government or its alleged involvement in Khashoggi’s death.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Rosie Perper)