There’s one name conspicuously missing from the men sentenced to death for murdering Jamal Khashoggi

Analysis: Kim Sengupta examines how the crown prince has avoided responsibility for the journalist’s killing

The journalist was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year (AFP/Getty)

Following the disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the kingdom came up with three separate and contradictory explanations for what had happened. The court verdict in Riyadh follows the final version that the murder and dismemberment were the work of rogue officials.

Saudi authorities have announced that five people have been sentenced to death following the trial, while three others were jailed for a total of 24 years and a further three were found not guilty.

The identities of the men found guilty were not given out. We know, of course, of one name that was not going to appear – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The heir to throne has been accused by, among others, the CIA and other Western intelligence services, of ordering the killing of the writer who had become a vocal and persistent critic of his rule. He has denied any involvement while saying said he “full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia”.