Khashoggi son welcomes Saudi court verdict over father's murder

• The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi welcomed a court verdict Monday.
• Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, justice and swift litigation.
• The operation involved 15 agents sent from Riyadh, Ankara said.

RIYADH: The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi welcomed a court verdict Monday that saw five people sentenced to death over the killing, saying justice had been served.

"Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, justice and swift litigation," Salah Khashoggi, who lives in the kingdom, said on Twitter.

"Today, justice was served to children of... Jamal Khashoggi. We affirm our confidence in the Saudi judiciary at all levels."

Khashoggi -- a royal family insider turned critic -- was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

The operation involved 15 agents sent from Riyadh, Ankara said. His remains were never found.

Of 11 individuals indicted in the case, five were sentenced to death, three face jail terms totalling 24 years, and the others were acquitted, the public prosecutor said on Monday.

Salah has previously said he had "full confidence" in the judicial system, and criticised opponents he said were seeking to exploit the case.

The Washington Post reported in April that Khashoggi's children, including Salah, had received multimillion-dollar homes and were being paid thousands of dollars per month by authorities.

But Salah rejected the report, denying discussing a financial settlement with the Saudi government.

Both the CIA and a UN special envoy have directly linked de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder, a charge the kingdom denies.