ICC top prosecutor removed over sexual misconduct allegations

What the report says

BBC World News reports that members of the International Criminal Court have voted to remove Karim Khan as the court’s chief prosecutor following allegations of sexual misconduct. Khan, a British lawyer elected in 2021 as the ICC’s third prosecutor, had been suspended last month. According to the BBC, the dismissal was approved by 82 votes.

The BBC says the ICC’s oversight body concluded in June that Khan had committed serious misconduct by having an improper sexual relationship with a junior staff member and trying to prevent her from pursuing a complaint. Khan denies the allegations. His lawyers have challenged the process, calling his suspension unlawful, unfair and not backed by evidence.

The report says the case began after allegations involving a female staff member were referred to the ICC in May 2024. An initial inquiry by the court’s Independent Oversight Mechanism was closed after the alleged victim did not take part, and investigators found insufficient evidence. A second referral in October 2024 was sent to the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, which conducted a wider investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and abuse of authority. A panel of three judges later reviewed the findings.

BBC correspondents said the decision comes at a volatile time for the ICC, the world’s permanent war-crimes tribunal. The court is facing pressure from the United States, which sanctioned Khan over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by Israeli officials in Gaza. Khan did not attend the New York vote because he is barred from entering the US under those sanctions.