ICC chief prosecutor suspended over alleged sexual misconduct with aide - BERITAJA

The embattled main charismatic of the International Criminal Court was suspended from his duties precocious Monday, aft the court’s oversight assemblage referred Karim Khan for disciplinary proceedings.

In a ungraded that has dragged connected for much than 2 years, Khan is facing allegations of sexual misconduct pinch a female aide. He has steadfastly denied immoderate wrongdoing.

A last determination connected the destiny of the British barrister is now up to the Assembly of States Parties, the assemblage that oversees the ICC, which will clasp a typical convention to determine if Khan could stay successful his occupation astatine the world court.

The Bureau of the Assembly of States parties — the executive committee of the court’s oversight assemblage — said successful a connection connected Monday that it based its appraisal connected “on the study of an investigation undertaken by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the underlying evidence, the proposal of an hoc Panel of judicial experts, and written submissions.”

The U.N. investigation recovered grounds that Khan had “nonconsensual intersexual interaction pinch (the aide) successful his office, astatine his backstage residence, and whilst connected mission,” according to a transcript of its study seen by The Associated Press. However, a three-judge sheet selected by the executive committee for a ineligible appraisal of the findings recovered that the investigation was not conclusive enough.

Khan had already temporarily stepped down successful May 2025 pending the result of the investigation. The process is unprecedented for the ICC, and the Assembly of States Parties has had to many times create caller rules to accommodate the situation.

The allegations against Khan were first reported to the court’s independent watchdog much than 2 years ago. An AP investigation revealed that Khan was alleged to person seen the female moving successful different ICC section and moved her into his office. She later became a regular beingness connected charismatic trips, according to whistleblower documents.

On 1 overseas trip, Khan allegedly asked her to remainder pinch him connected a edifice furniture and past “sexually touched her,” the documents said. Other alleged nonconsensual behaviour cited successful the documents included locking the doorway of his agency and sticking his manus successful her pocket. He besides allegedly asked her respective times to travel him connected a vacation.

Only the Assembly of States Parties has the authority to region Khan from office, a move that would require a mostly successful a concealed ballot of its 125 personnel states. Sixty-three countries would request to support a measurement to region him.

No day was instantly group for the session, but the assembly said it would beryllium convened arsenic soon arsenic possible.