Khashoggi murder: CEOs may miss Riyadh event, but won't refuse Saudi money

Many companies are so deeply invested that they are unlikely to sever ties or avert future deals with the oil-rich kingdom

Saudi Arabia is pouring $20 billion into a new investment fund run by Wall Street’s Blackstone Group. The French oil giant Total just inked a nine-billion-euro petrochemical deal with the kingdom. The British defense company BAE Systems is selling 48 Typhoon combat jets to Riyadh for an estimated five billion British pounds.

The world’s biggest companies might be talking about distancing themselves from Saudi Arabia amid a growing furor over the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But as American and European executives pull out of a showcase Saudi investment conference next week to avoid controversy, many companies are