World News
MBS tried to manipulate the American court system; U.S. Attorney with charges
New York: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s lawyer has accused him of trying to manipulate the US court system.
Keith Harper, the lawyer of the writer Hatice Cengiz, who was the concubine of the murdered Saudi journalist Khashoggi, has come forward with the accusation.
The lawyer has also submitted a 10-page legal filing in this regard to the court.
Keith Harper is now accusing MBS of trying to unnecessarily interfere in the court system following the Joe Biden government’s stance that it will grant sovereign immunity to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and Prime Minister-designate Mohammed bin Salman from the Khashoggi murder case.
Harper also urged the court to reject the Biden government’s proposal on the matter.
“In this rare case, the court should not allow MBS to be shielded for ordering the assassination of U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi,” Keith Harper said, according to the Guardian.
The lawyer pointed out that the appointment of MBS as Prime Minister without being the King of Saudi Arabia was an unusual step and therefore he was not entitled to diplomatic protection in the case.
Keith Harper is also a lawyer representing the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).
Hatis Cengiz is currently prosecuting the Khashoggi murder case in the US. On the other hand, MBS’s lawyer argued in the court that the case was over on Tuesday.
Last June, the district court where the case is ongoing in the US asked the Joe Biden government to comment on whether MBS should be given legal immunity as head of state from the Khashoggi assassination case.
It was suggested to reply in July. But as the reply was delayed, the district court judge extended it to October.
Following this, President Joe Biden informed the court that the term of Saudi Prime Minister should be given legal protection to MBS from the ongoing case in the US regarding Khashoggi’s death.
This was followed by a response from the US State Department. “This is a practice we routinely provide to heads of state, government officials and foreign ministers,” said US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel.
MBS was appointed as the prime minister of Saudi Arabia at the end of September. There were reports that he was appointed as the Prime Minister while he was the Crown Prince to get legal protection from the Khashoggi murder case.
Media including Middle East Eye and Guardian reported that the position of prime minister would give MBS immunity from legal proceedings in the Khashoggi murder case.
Usually the leaders of a country like Prime Minister, President or King get legal protection in such situations. That is why MBS was appointed prime minister in a hurry, some estimates said.
After becoming Prime Minister, MBS will have immunity from legal proceedings and protection from arrest during foreign trips.
Jamal Khashoggi was a Washington Post journalist who regularly wrote articles criticizing the Saudi regime, the human rights violations under the regime of Mohammed bin Salman, and the intervention in Yemen. Khashoggi lived in the US.
Khashoggi was assassinated in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His body is yet to be found.
Reports including those of the US-Turkish intelligence agencies have come out that Khashoggi was killed by people appointed by Mohammed bin Salman and MBS himself ordered this operation.
But the Saudi government and MBS denied all the allegations. Its cases are currently ongoing. Khashoggi’s assassination also strained Saudi-Turkey and Saudi-US relations.
Content Highlight: US Lawyer accuses Saudi crown prince MBS of attempting to manipulate court system