Saudi Arabia's big investment conference starts Tuesday under the shadow of Jamal Khashoggi's death.
Dozens of top business leaders from around the world have pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative as questions have mounted over the Saudi government's role in the killing of Khashoggi, a dissident journalist who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.
The exodus of executives — including the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase (
JPM), Uber and Siemens (
SIEGY) — has taken the shine off the showcase event hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been trying to modernize the country's oil-dependent economy.
The prince, who has poured Saudi money into
tech companies around the world and
hung out with Silicon Valley's biggest names, is now grappling with the international outcry over what happened to Khashoggi.
Members of bin Salman's inner circle have been
blamed for the Washington Post columnist's death. The Saudi government, which had initially claimed Khashoggi left the consulate alive, has since
admitted he was killed inside the building but insisted it was the result of a "fistfight."That explanation has drawn skepticism, including from US President Donald Trump who said Monday he was "not satisfied" with what he'd heard.