UN bats for 'credible' probe into Khashoggi's killing

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for "credible" investigation in connection to the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Speaking at the Doha Forum conference here, Guterres was quoted by Al-Jazeera saying: "It is absolutely essential to have a credible investigation and to have the punishment of those that were guilty.

The UN chief said that he has been following developments ever since the news of Khashoggi's murder was reported in the media.

On October 2, Khashoggi was reported missing after he stepped into Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to collect paperwork that would allow him to get married to his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who later said that he never appeared from the building.

After days of denial, Saudi Arabia later confirmed its role in Khashoggi's killing after facing massive pressure from Turkey over their investigations on the issue. But their contradictory statements evoked international uproar led by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has demanded Riyadh to come clean and accept their role in the scribe's death.

In response, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had admitted that the murder of the scribe was "a mistake and a rogue operation". Investigations into Khashoggi's killing are still going on in both Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Last week, Saudi Arabia ruled out the possibility of extraditing its nationals to Turkey for their alleged involvement in Khashoggi's killing.

Recently, the United States Senate passed a resolution to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the scribe's murder.

Khashoggi, who relocated to the US from Saudi Arabia last year, used to write articles for The Washington Post, criticising the Saudi government.