Karim Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. (AP / Michael Kooren, Pool)
International Criminal Court votes to move forward with disciplinary proceedings against chief prosecutor accused of sexual misconduct.
By World Israel News Staff
The International Criminal Court is moving forward with disciplinary proceedings against chief prosecutor Karim Khan, as the Hague-based tribunal’s member states weigh whether the court’s top prosecutor can remain in office while facing serious sexual assault allegations.
A core group of ICC member states voted last week to advance the process, with 15 in favor, two abstaining and four opposed.
The decision keeps pressure on Khan even after a three-judge review found the available evidence was insufficient to establish the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
That judicial assessment did not end the matter, however, because a separate probe by the United Nations found a factual basis for the claims by a female aide and said witness testimony supported her account.
The split between those two findings has left ICC member states to decide whether the issue is now one of criminal proof, institutional fitness, or both.
Khan, who has been on leave since May 2025, has rejected all allegations of wrongdoing.
The next stage now rests with member states, which are considering whether disciplinary standards for the court’s top official should be judged by a narrower criminal threshold or by a broader ethical and institutional one.
That distinction has become central to the dispute, especially as the case drags into a second year and staff unrest continues inside the court.
The controversy has landed at a particularly sensitive moment for the ICC, with the court already under strain from American sanctions and from backlash tied to high-profile war crimes investigations, including cases involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
For now, Khan remains accused but not removed, with last week’s vote to proceed keeping the case against Khan open.
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