Karim Khan has denied the allegations and plans to cooperate with the investigation, his lawyers say
UN investigators have expanded their inquiry into alleged sexual misconduct by International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, to include allegations of reprisals against staff, Reuters has reported. Khan has firmly denied all allegations.
Sources cited by the outlet claim that Khan, who is being investigated for alleged sexual harassment of a female subordinate, demoted at least four staff members after they reported or expressed concerns about the incident. The investigation, led by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), is reportedly examining the claims.
Khan’s legal representatives have rejected all allegations, stating he “looks forward to cooperating fully and transparently with the external investigation” and insisting that he “has not engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind and nor, to be clear, has he engaged in any ‘retaliatory behaviour’ as alleged.”
The ICC has confirmed the initiation of an external investigation into Khan’s alleged misconduct. Despite the ongoing inquiry, Khan, the court’s chief prosecutor since 2021, has continued to oversee investigations, including those related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In February, he was sanctioned by the US after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Khan’s assets in the US have been frozen and he is banned from traveling to the country.
Khan has characterized the allegations as part of a misinformation campaign against his office, which he says has been the target of “a wide range of attacks and threats.”
The ICC has the authority to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression committed either within its 125 member states or by their nationals. However, major powers such as the US, Russia and China, are not parties to the court and do not recognize its decisions.
