Investigation Opened Against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan For Sexual Misconduct

The governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has opened an external investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct targeting Attorney General Karim Khan, according to Reuters. The decision was made Thursday evening during a meeting, as Khan strongly denies the accusations. The prosecutor claims that these allegations “correspond” to “a disinformation campaign” waged against him in the context of his request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. The investigation comes as ICC judges are considering his request to issue arrest warrants for war crimes against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior Hamas officials.

In a letter, several member states of the Court call on Khan to “resign or temporarily withdraw from office until the allegations are clarified.” They demand that the prosecutor “immediately transfer his duties to one of his deputies” and “immediately step aside to allow an independent investigation.”

According to a source cited by Reuters, the alleged victim expressed his “lack of confidence” in the independence of the internal body of the Court, because the person approached to lead the investigation was previously a member of Khan's team. She also stressed that the leak of her complaint against Khan undermined her confidence in the court's governing body.

Khan maintains his position, categorically denying the accusations and calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations and their origin. He links these accusations to what he sees as a smear campaign related to his ongoing actions regarding the arrest warrants.