As journalists managed to learn, the Governing Body of the International Criminal Court plans to launch an external investigation into Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan in connection with alleged sexual harassment.
Points of attention
- Karim Khan denies the allegations and is asking the court's internal oversight body to investigate the cases.
- The allegations against the prosecutor coincide with a disinformation campaign directed against his department.
- Insiders have questioned the integrity of Khan's investigation due to potential conflicts of interest.
Prosecutor Khan will be investigated
According to media reports, Karim Khan has already been called upon to temporarily withdraw from his duties at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
The ISS leadership wants him suspended while the investigation continues.
The undated and unsigned document, which was seen by journalists, was sent to the member countries by the staff of the ISS.
In addition, Khan's office reportedly referred questions to his lawyer, while phone calls and repeated requests for comment to his lawyers went unanswered.
Khan denies allegations of wrongdoing, which were reported to the court's governing body last month. He then asked the court's internal oversight body to investigate the allegations.
It will be recalled that on March 17, 2023, it was the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who issued arrest warrants for two citizens of the Russian Federation: the illegitimate president, Vladimir Putin, and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner under the President of the Russian Federation for children's rights. They are suspected of abducting Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.
What does Israel and Hamas have to do with it?
What is important to understand is that, as of today, ICC judges are considering Karim Khan's request to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister, and Hamas leaders.
Khan points out that the allegations against him "strangely" coincided with a disinformation campaign against his department.
An internal document released for discussion said the court's independent internal conduct review body should have opened a formal investigation into the allegations when they were first raised.
According to one insider, the alleged victim in the Khan case has no confidence in the independence of the internal tribunal, whose new chairman is a former employee of Khan, because details of the wrongdoing reports were leaked.
Currently, Karim Khan is being actively pressured to step aside temporarily.
