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Bloomberg
A Saudi court sentenced five people to death for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Three out of 11 who stood trial for last year’s murder at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul were given a total of 24-year prison terms, according to a statement read out at the public prosecutor’s office on Monday. The court found three others not guilty. It didn’t identify any of who were convicted.
Saud al-Qahtani, removed from his role as a top adviser to Prince Mohammed after the killing, was interrogated but no evidence was found against him, according to Shalaan Shalaan, the deputy attorney general. Ahmed Alassiri, a top intelligence official also removed from his position, was found not guilty by the court.
Shalaan told reporters that the court has found no evidence that the murder was premeditated, contradicting conclusions by Turkish authorities and Western intelligence services.
The prosecutor will “study the verdict and look into filing an appeal,†according to a statement.
Khashoggi, 59, went to the Saudi consulate to obtain paperwork for his marriage. But he was killed. His body was never recovered.
The trial began in January. Nine sessions were held before Monday’s sentencing, according to al-Shaalan. Representatives of the Turkish government, Saudi human rights groups and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council were allowed to attend, but the media had been banned from covering the trial.