A French court will move forward with examining allegations against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concerning his involvement in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office announced Saturday.
The prosecutor’s office, referred to as the PNAT, stated that an investigating judge from the crimes against humanity unit will now handle the matter following a May 11 decision by the Paris Court of Appeal.
Trial International and Reporters Without Borders submitted the legal filing. These organizations allege the Saudi crown prince participated in torture and enforced disappearance related to Khashoggi’s death, a Saudi opposition journalist and Washington Post writer who was violently murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul during October 2018.
Khashoggi’s remains were cut apart and have never been recovered.
The PNAT explained that the Paris Court of Appeal determined the allegations were acceptable because the potential for classifying the matter as a crime against humanity — which could encompass the related offenses of torture and enforced disappearance — could not be dismissed at this point.
The prosecutor’s office acknowledged the court’s determination while noting that the decision did not contradict its own understanding of French criminal procedure laws regarding whether the organizations had standing to submit the complaint as civil parties.
The French legal action was originally submitted in 2022, while Prince Mohammed was visiting France. The crown prince had experienced international ostracism following Khashoggi’s murder but has subsequently been welcomed again by Western officials and leaders.
The initiation of a French judicial investigation does not indicate Prince Mohammed has been formally accused or that French courts have determined his guilt. It signifies an investigating judge will review whether the allegations can proceed to additional legal action.
Prince Mohammed has rejected claims that he ordered Khashoggi’s murder but has acknowledged it occurred during his leadership as Saudi Arabia’s effective head of state.
U.S. intelligence services had previously determined that he authorized the mission that resulted in the killing.
Saudi Arabia conducted a private trial regarding the murder and claimed it penalized those accountable, but human rights organizations condemned the legal process as secretive and inadequate.
