Authorities at the International Criminal Court will launch an external investigation into chief prosecutor Karim Khan, accused of possible sexual misconduct. Information about this came from Reuters, citing sources.
An internal document circulated among member states calls for Khan to temporarily step down from his position at the permanent war crimes court in The Hague while the investigation continues, Reuters reported. The undated and signed document, seen by Reuters, was distributed to ICC member states.
Khan denies allegations of misconduct reported to the court's governing body last month and has asked his own internal watchdog to investigate them. Reuters points out that the external investigation was accepted at a meeting of the core group of the court's governing body, the Assembly of States Parties, held on November 7. The agency has not been able to determine who will conduct the investigation.
ICC judges are currently considering Khan's request, filed in May, for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and Hamas leaders. Khan claims the misconduct allegations are consistent with a disinformation campaign against his office.
A potential victim in the Khan case is questioning the independence of the court's internal body, whose new chairman is a former member of Khan's staff, because of leaks of alleged misconduct, one source said. The document also indicates that Khan is being pressured to temporarily step down and hand over duties to one of the deputy prosecutors while the investigation continues.
“The prosecutor must resign immediately to allow an independent investigation,” the document says. It is unclear whether the court's governing body asked Khan to do so.
The ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression in member states or their nationals. In September this year, Karim Khan announced significant progress in bringing Vladimir Putin to justice for war crimes in Ukraine. However, he expressed the need for genuine solidarity from the international community to achieve this goal. The ICC confirmed that Mongolia did not cooperate in the arrest of Putin.