Khashoggi Murder Case Investigation Moving In Right Direction - French Foreign Ministry

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2018) Detention by Saudi law enforcement of suspects allegedly involved in journalist Jamal Khashoggi murder indicates that the investigation is on the right track, Olivier Gauvin, the deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, said Thursday.

"The investigations being conducted by the Saudi Prosecutor and other parties should bring clarity on what happened. We urge the authorities to clearly identify those responsible and to bring perpetrators before a real court. Saudi authorities' announcement that 18 people arrested for the investigation are being brought to justice demonstrates the right direction the investigation is moving in," Gauvin noted.

Gauvin also highlighted that France would continue to monitor closely the course of events.

On Thursday, it was announced by the Saudi public prosecutor's office that 21 people were in custody for the Khashoggi's case, including five suspects charged with "ordering and committing" the crime, for whom prosecutor`s office requested the death penalty.

The United States imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals for human rights abuse related to their roles in the murder of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi Arabian Consulate.

A Washington Post columnist, Khashoggi disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from the Western allies to provide explanations. Turkey, which has conducted a separate probe into the case, claims that Khashoggi was assassinated by a hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia.