Khashoggi's children given houses and monthly payments by kingdom: Report
The children of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have received multimillion-dollar homes and are being paid thousands of dollars per month by the kingdom's authorities, according to a US newspaper.
The payments to his two sons and two daughters "are part of an effort by Saudi Arabia to reach a long-term arrangement with Khashoggi family members, aimed in part at ensuring that they continue to show restraint in their public statements," the Washington Post said on Monday.
The houses given to the Khashoggi children are located in the port city of Jeddah and are worth up to $4m, the newspaper reported.
Salah, the eldest of the children, plans to continue living in the kingdom, while the others, who live in the United States, are expected to sell the homes, the paper said.
In addition to the properties, the children are receiving $10,000 or more per month and may also receive larger payments that could amount to tens of millions of dollars each, according to current and former Saudi officials, as well as people close to the family, the Post said.
The homes and payments were approved late last year by King Salman as part of what one former official described as an acknowledgement that "a big injustice has been done" and an attempt "to make a wrong right".
'Big injustice'
The Khashoggi siblings have refrained from any harsh criticism of the kingdom, even as their father’s death provoked global outrage and widespread condemnation of the heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MBS.
Salah's desire to remain in Jeddah with his family has contributed to the siblings' deference to the authorities and caution in their public statements over the past six months, the Post said.
The negotiations with the family have been led by the outgoing Saudi ambassador to the United States, Khalid bin Salman, MBS's brother.
In October, Riyadh released photos of a clearly uncomfortable Salah shaking hands with MBS and King Salman, images which were widely interpreted as exposing the coercive power the royal family was exerting on Khashoggi's children.
CIA conclusion
Khashoggi, a contributor to the Post and Middle East Eye, was killed and dismembered in October at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh.
The CIA concluded last autumn that bin Salman was behind Khashoggi's murder.
Bin Salman has denied any knowledge of the killing or its botched cover-up, which Riyadh has described as a "rogue operation".
The kingdom's public prosecutor has charged 11 people over Khashoggi's murder and a secretive trial has been taking place in Riyadh.
Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to MBS who was fired after the murder and is believed to have planned the Istanbul operation, is not among the 11 suspects, according to sources familiar with the matter.
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