The crown prince, who is heir to the throne, already wields wide powers

The crown prince, who is heir to the throne, already wields wide powers

The crown prince, who is heir to the throne, already wields wide powers

Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was appointed prime minister on Tuesday by royal decree.

The crown prince, who is heir to the throne held by King Salman, already wields wide powers and is seen as the kingdom's day-to-day leader.

Naming the prince prime minister ahead of the Khashoggi lawsuit has raised questions from critics as to whether Salman was made prime minister to shield him from a potentially damaging lawsuit in the US in connection to his alleged role in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Such protection is usually granted to a world leader, such as a prime minister or a king. So, it is quite possible the prince's father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud hastened to name his powerful son prime minister. 

A US judge, in July, had asked the Biden administration to comment on whether Mohammed bin Salman, should be granted sovereign immunity in a civil case brought against him in the US by Hatice Cengiz, fiance of the slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. US intelligence found that the crown prince likely approved the killing.

The lawsuit, the deadline for which looms next week, was filed by Cengiz and Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a human rights organization in 2020. it alleges that the Washington Post columnist was tortured, murdered, and dismembered on the orders of bin Salman 

Being named prime minister will also ensure that the prince wouldn't be arrested or otherwise face legal challenges while travelling abroad. 

“The fight for justice must succeed – it will not be stopped because MBS bestows another title on himself,” Cengiz told the Guardian

The prince said in 2019 that he took full responsibility for the killing since it happened on his watch, but denied ordering it. Saudi officials have said Khashoggi's killing was the work of rogue Saudi security and intelligence officials. Saudi Arabian courts say they have sentenced eight Saudi nationals to prison over the killing but have not identified them.

-- With PTI inputs

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