Saudi Arabian officials have appeared unwilling to “genuinely cooperate” with Turkey’s investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a senior Turkish official said Wednesday.
“The Saudi officials seemed primarily interested in finding out what evidence the Turkish authorities had against the perpetrators,” the official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
“We did not get the impression that they were keen on genuinely cooperating with the investigation,” the official said, referring to the latest contacts between Ankara and Riyadh.
The comments come as Saudi Arabia’s chief public prosecutor is in Istanbul to meet with Turkish authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.
However Turkish media has reported that Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb has refused to share information from Riyadh’s own investigation since arriving on Sunday.
Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Washington Post contributor, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork ahead of his upcoming wedding. His body has not been found.
The case has brought near unprecedented international scrutiny on Saudi Arabia and its powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Khashoggi had criticised.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called on Saudi authorities to reveal the location of Khashoggi’s body and who ordered his murder.
The Saudi prosecutor met with Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan twice this week at Istanbul’s main court and visited the consulate — the scene of the murder — on Tuesday.
The private DHA news agency reported that Mojeb also held talks at the regional head offices of the Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT) overnight.
But there was no immediate information on what was discussed.
Source: AFP
