The delivery of homes and monthly payments of $US10,000 or more to each sibling were approved late last year by King Salman as part of what one former official described as an acknowledgement that "a big injustice has been done" and an attempt "to make a wrong right." But the royal family is also relying on its wealth to help contain the ongoing fallout from the killing and dismemberment of the prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributing columnist who was targeted for articles that were often critical of the government. A Saudi official described the payments as being consistent with the country's long-standing practice of providing financial support to victims of violent crime or even natural disasters and rejected the suggestion that the Khashoggi family would be obligated to remain silent. "Such support is part of our custom and culture," the official said. "It is not attached to anything else." As part of their preliminary settlement, the Khashoggi children were each given houses in Jiddah worth as much as $US4 million apiece. The properties are part of a shared compound in which Salah Khashoggi, the eldest son, occupies the main structure. A banker in Jiddah, Salah is the only Khashoggi sibling who intends to continue living in Saudi Arabia, according to people close to the family. The others reside in the United States and are expected to sell their new Saudi properties.

Salah, who has been responsible for financial discussions with Saudi authorities, declined to comment on the matter when reached by phone on Monday. His desire to remain in Jiddah with his family has contributed to the siblings' deference to the authorities and caution in their public statements over the past six months. Salah Khashoggi shakes hands with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in October 2018. Credit:AP In October, the Saudi government released photos of Salah shaking hands with Mohammed, an image that was meant to show the crown prince offering condolences but was widely seen as an indication of the coercive power the royal family was exerting on Jamal Khashoggi's children. The writer's two daughters, Noha Khashoggi and Razan Jamal Khashoggi, published an essay in The Washington Post last year in which they described their father's hopes for changes in Saudi Arabia but emphasised that he was "no dissident" and did not accuse the crown prince or other Saudi officials of being culpable in his death. Noha did not respond to a request for comment, and Razan could not be reached.

The monthly schedule of payments and prospect of eventual multimillion-dollar settlements would appear to give the Khashoggis a long-term financial incentive to remain quiet even as human rights organisations and critics of Saudi Arabia continue to demand accountability from the kingdom. Loading Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan issued a statement on Monday, six months after Jamal Khashoggi's death, saying the Saudis "have adopted a strategy of evasion" that has "scapegoated expendable officials, seeking to quell international furore by staging a sham trial." Khashoggi's second son, Abdullah, declined to comment when reached on Monday. William Taylor, a Washington lawyer who has represented the family, also refused to discuss any compensation the family has received. The negotiations with the family have been led by the outgoing Saudi ambassador to the United States, Khalid bin Salman, brother of the crown prince.

The CIA concluded with "medium to high confidence" that Mohammed had ordered Khashoggi's killing, but US President Donald Trump has refused to accept that verdict about a close ally, saying, "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't." Saudi officials have strenuously denied that Mohammed was involved, describing the slaying as a rogue operation carried out by a team that intended to subdue Khashoggi and bring him back to Riyadh but killed him after a struggle at the consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi came to the diplomatic facility to collect paperwork needed to remarry. US intelligence agencies, relying in part on eavesdropping equipment placed in the Saudi Consulate by the Turkish government, have concluded that Khashoggi was strangled or smothered. Saudi officials have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi's body. His killers are believed to have dismembered and disposed of it. Officials who have heard audio of the operation said that one of the Saudi operatives - who has a background in forensic crime-scene work - can be heard warning other operatives to play loud music to mask the sound of an electric device. Saudi authorities have announced investigations of 21 people in connection with Khashoggi's killing, including Saud al-Qahtani, an enforcer for the crown prince suspected by some of orchestrating the operation against Khashoggi.