Saudi Consulate employees testify on Khashoggi killing

A number of employees of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul testified as part of an ongoing probe into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a judicial source said on Monday.

Five Turkish employees of the Saudi Consulate said in their testimonies that they weren't given a day off on Oct. 2 and left the consulate when their shift ended at 3.30 p.m. local time (1230GMT).

Khashoggi was last seen at 1.14 p.m. (1014GMT) on Oct. 2, when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Among those who testified to the prosecutors assigned by the terror and organized crimes unit of Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a consulate staff -- employed as a driver -- spoke to the reporters after his testimony at Istanbul Court House in Caglayan district.

The employee said the prosecutors asked them whether there was an extraordinary thing happened on Oct. 2 in the consulate or they saw Khashoggi and 15 other Saudis, how long they were employed in the consulate, where they are from and the working hours of the staff.

As for the answers, the driver said they did not sense extraordinary situation on the day when Khashoggi entered the consulate, the testifier was not sent to anywhere out of the consulate, and the working hours began at 9 a.m. (0600GMT) and ended 3.30 p.m. (1230GMT) local time.

The driver added that the employees left the building as usual when their shift ended on Oct. 2.

Upon the questions of journalists, he said that he knew Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi, who left Turkey for Riyadh last week.

Later, the witnesses left the courthouse.

The remaining 17 personnel -- both Turkish and foreign nationals -- are expected to appear at the courthouse for submitting their testimony as part of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's probe, the sources added.

Last week, a total of 23 consulate employees had also spoken to the prosecutors.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.

On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will make a statement on Khashoggi’s killing on Tuesday during his party's group meeting at the parliament.