A lawyer for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a judge to dismiss a case accusing the prince of ordering the killing of columnist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi, arguing that his new role as prime minister grants him legal immunity.
A Sept. 27 order naming Crown Prince Mohammed prime minister ¡°leaves no doubt that the Crown Prince is entitled to status-based immunity,¡± lawyer Michael Kellogg said in a filing Monday in District of Columbia federal court. Kellogg said the court ¡°should dismiss plaintiffs¡¯ claims against the Crown Prince for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.¡±
Saudi Arabia¡¯s King Salman bin Abdulaziz appointed his son, the 37-year-old crown prince, as leader of the kingdom¡¯s government on Sept. 27, formalizing his status as leader of the government. The crown prince, widely known by the initials MBS, already oversees many of the country¡¯s major portfolios, and no reason was given for the move.
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