As Oct. 2 (Wednesday) marked the first anniversary of the killing of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia shows its commitment to bring all the culprits to justice as it is taking all legal measures in a transparent and candid manner. The measures and actions the Kingdom has so far taken point out that it has nothing to hide in this case despite frantic efforts by the vested interests to discredit the image of the Kingdom and slander its leadership. The Saudi leadership did not stop at just holding all the accused legally accountable but it also fired them from their positions in various government departments. The Saudi leadership followed all legal procedures when it was found that some government officials were involved in the killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in a rogue operation, violating Saudi laws, customs and traditions. While slamming the horrific crime, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman stressed that the culprits do not represent the principles and values of the Kingdom. On his part, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman considered it as a heinous crime that was painful to all Saudis. As soon as the truth of the crime emerged, the Public Prosecution investigated the charges against 18 people that led to the prosecution of 11 accused. The Attorney General has pleaded death penalty for five accused who ordered and initiated the murder of Khashoggi. Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learned from reliable sources that the Saudi judiciary has so far held eight hearings in the case, attended by a representative of the Khashoggi family, representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council, a representative of Turkey, the Saudi Human Rights Commission and the National Society for Human Rights. All this confirms that the Kingdom has nothing to hide about this case. The Kingdom has taken all corrective measures in the aftermath of the murder. It has restructured the General Intelligence Presidency, relieving a number of officials named during the investigation, from their positions so that the Public Prosecution could investigate them and record their statements. The judiciary of the Kingdom is independent, and no one can interfere in its actions and judgments. The Public Prosecution is committed to full transparency in its statements on the issue of Khashoggi, to the extent permitted by the justice systems. It demanded that all those who are seeking justice in the Khashoggi case should submit all proofs and evidence they have to the Public Prosecution, and wait for the final verdict of judiciary. It is regrettable that Turkey, whose officials and media are skeptical of Saudi authorities' handling of the murder of Khashoggi case, is the same country that has refused to respond to requests from the Public Prosecution to provide it with information and evidence for use in investigating those involved in the crime. The Kingdom will continue with the proceedings of the Khashoggi case, until it reaches a conclusion following a normal judicial process. The sources pointed out that the Kingdom has provided a detailed report on the issue to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, stressing that the Kingdom will publish as much information as possible on the issue without prejudice to Saudi laws and related procedures. The sources confirmed that the prosecution, which proved high transparency in dealing with the case through the issuance of data and the announcement of the latest developments on the case, continues to question the accused and record all their statements and continue to search for any evidence so as to make it available instantly to the court hearing the case.
