(CNN)Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but cleared a former top adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a public prosecutor said Monday.
There was no evidence against Saud al-Qahtani, Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaalan al-Shaalan announced in a televised press conference Monday. A court also dismissed charges against Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy intelligence chief, and Mohammed al-Otaibi, Saudi's consul general in Istanbul when the murder took place, he said.
Al-Qahtani was sanctioned a year ago by the US Treasury for his alleged involvement in the murder.
Both al-Qahtani and al-Assiri were part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's inner circle and were relieved of their duties in the immediate aftermath of Khashoggi's killing in October 2018.