Someone is paying “serious money” to suppress investigations into the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, the president of Turkey has said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the remarks after the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

In his brief comments to journalists, first reported by the Turkish news channel NTV on Monday, he did not elaborate on what he meant or who he was referring to.

Khashoggi, a long-time critic of the Saudi Arabian regime and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October last year.

A UN report concluded there was “credible evidence” that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince and de facto leader of the oil-rich nation, was responsible for ordering the dissident’s death at the hands of a hit squad.

Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Show all 7 1 /7 Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Jamal Khashoggi Washington Post journalist who was critical of the Saudi regime and the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he was murdered on 2 October in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul AFP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder, with US officials claiming that he must have known of the plot AFP/Getty Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures 15 man hit squad Turkish police suspect these 15 men of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, issued 10 October, 8 days after the journalist disappeared EPA Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Saud al-Qahtani Aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saud al-Qahtani is claimed to have ordered Khashoggi's murder Saud Al-Qahtani/Twitter Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb A former diplomat who often travelled with the Crown Prince, Mutreb was initially claimed to be the leader of the hit squad and is pictured here entering the Saudi consulate on the day of the murder AP Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Mustafa al-Madani First implicated in the 15 CCTV photos released by the Turkish police, al-Madani was later found to have been used as a body double for Khashoggi, leaving the Saudi consulate dressed in his clothes on the day the journalist was killed CNN Jamal Khashoggi death: key figures Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi (L) Son of the murdered journalist met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 23 October EPA

Riyadh has dismissed this and insists the men who murdered Khashoggi and then dismembered his body with a bone saw were rogue agents who panicked during a botched interrogation.

In December, Mr Erdogan accused Prince Mohammed’s “closest” associates of being behind the killing, citing audio recordings of the murder captured by Turkey’s intelligence agencies.

At the Osaka summit, Theresa May had a 20-minute meeting with Prince Mohammed, where she pressed him on ensuring an “open and transparent” legal process over the murder.

Currently 11 people are on trial in Riyadh in connection with Khashoggi’s death, but the hearings are closed to the press and none of the defendants have been named.

Saudi Arabia’s closest Western ally, the United States, has only made limited attempts to hold the regime accountable.

Although the US Senate has voted overwhelmingly in favour of holding Prince Mohammed responsible, Donald Trump has so far taken little action.

After meeting with Prince Mohammed at the G20, Mr Trump insisted that “nobody so far has pointed directly a finger at the future king of Saudi Arabia” in relation to the murder, ignoring the clear findings of the UN, his own CIA and several other Western nations.

He also had talks with Mr Erdogan in Osaka, describing the increasingly authoritarian Turkish president as a “tough” leader.