PARIS, France — A French judge has been appointed to lead an inquiry over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the country’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) says, after a court ruled the case admissible.
The probe, covering charges of torture and enforced disappearance, follows a May 11 ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal that deemed complaints filed by human rights groups TRIAL International and Reporters Without Borders admissible, PNAT says.
A separate complaint filed by DAWN, Khashoggi’s employer, was ruled inadmissible, the PNAT adds.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in an operation that US intelligence believed was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The crown prince has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged it took place “under my watch.”
The French inquiry adds a new legal front in a case that has seen limited judicial follow-up to date.
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