The head of the IMF is skipping Saudi Arabia's investment conference

The Saudi event, known as "Davos in the desert," has suffered an exodus of global business leaders, including the CEOs of JPMorgan (JPM) and Uber, following the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who was critical of the Saudi government.

The IMF said in a statement late Tuesday that Lagarde's trip to the Middle East for the conference "is being deferred."

It's an abrupt change of position from the fund's managing director who said as recently as Saturday that she still planned to attend the event despite being horrified by reports about Khashoggi's disappearance.

The Saudi journalist, who contributed to The Washington Post, hasn't been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish officials have told CNN he was killed inside the consulate. Saudi authorities have so far maintained that Khashoggi left the consulate the same day he went in, but they have provided no evidence to support the claim.

Lagarde said Saturday that her job is "to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners of the world, and with many governments." But she added that she would "be very attentive to the information that is coming out" in the next few days.

The IMF didn't immediately respond late Tuesday to a request for further comment about her change of plans.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is among the high-profile figures who say they still intend to attend the Saudi conference, which is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to revamp the country's oil-dependent economy.