Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in France said it would file a compensation claim against France after a Saudi citizen was detained by French police at Paris International Airport, and was treated badly, Saudi media reported.
In statements to the “Al Ekhbariya” TV, the Saudi ambassador to Paris, Fahd Al Ruwaili, said: “The embassy’s lawyer was assigned to file a claim for compensation for what happened to the citizen Khaled Al Otaibi in terms of material and moral damages”.
These measures will be taken following directives from the leadership and in coordination with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier last week, Al Otaibi was arrested on suspicion in the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. The embassy stated that it had followed up the case with the relevant French authorities to prove the fact that the names were similar and not related to the issue, noting that officials visited the citizen at his place of detention and checked on his condition until his release and departure to the Kingdom. Al Otaibi was later released.
Later in a TV interview, Al Otaibi said he was treated very badly and "detained me in a filthy room of which the walls were stained with blood, where I could neither take rest nor sleep".
