Investigator: Saudi Arabia should not host G-20

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, (left). Photo / AP

The lead investigator for the UN probe into the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said yesterday that the world's wealthiest nations have done little to hold Saudi Arabia to account and suggested the kingdom lose the privilege of hosting next year's Group of 20 summit.

UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who last month released a 101-page report that provided new details into the plot to assassinate Khashoggi and concluded that the Saudi state was responsible for it, said stripping Saudi Arabia of hosting rights should be part of an international effort for justice in the absence of a credible judicial process.

"It is important to identify other options for judicial accountability and prosecution, but as well for different forms of accountability — political, diplomatic, strategic, cultural," she said.

Her comments came less than a week after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman took centre stage at this year's G-20 summit in Japan, boldly signalling his return to global prominence after Khashoggi's killing in October.

Callamard's report asserted that the Crown prince must have at least known about the operation. "The only conclusion I could reach on the basis of the evidence is that the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible for the killing."

She acknowledged that state accountability appears unlikely though, as world leaders and investors have shown a willingness to move on from Khashoggi's death.

The Trump administration, in particular, has maintained a close relationship with the Crown prince. The White House has blocked congressional efforts to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia and insisted that Mohammed was not to blame for Khashoggi's death.

At the G-20 meeting in Osaka last week, Trump firmly defended Mohammed, calling him "my friend" and saying it was a "great honour" to be with him.