WASHINGTON (Middle East Eye) – A U.S. court has dismissed a lawsuit against Saad al-Jabri, a former top Saudi espionage official who has become a vocal critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Thursday, a U.S. judge ruled against a lawsuit filed by a Saudi state-owned firm, Sakab Saudi Holding, which accused Jabri of embezzling state funds. The judge said that an order by the U.S. government not to release classified documents prevented the case from proceeding.
In September, the U.S. director of national intelligence invoked a rarely used state secrets legal privilege to prevent the release of classified information in the case. Avril Haines submitted the declaration in a Massachusetts district court, saying the information that was due to be released as evidence in the case between Jabri and Sakab could cause “exceptionally grave” harm to U.S. national security.
Such an intervention by the U.S. government is rare in litigation between two private parties.
The dismissal of Sakab’s case against Jabri is deemed a blow to Mohammed bin Salman, who has pursued a policy of silencing dissent and clamping down on human rights activists.
Nathaniel Gorton, the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts judge, said “the court is unconvinced” that it could rule for Sakab without involving information that the U.S. government believes would compromise state secrets and security interests.
As a top spy, Jabri worked with the CIA on counter-terrorism projects. He was a close aide to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the former Saudi interior minister ousted by Mohammed bin Salman as heir to the throne in a 2017 palace coup, which prompted Jabri to flee to Canada.
The U.S. court also said that Sakab’s case had no legal basis in federal or Massachusetts law, and, citing “state secrets”, barred Jabri from filing a counter claim for a judgment that he had legally obtained luxury properties in Boston sought by Sakab.