ICC suspends top prosecutor after investigating misconduct allegations

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) main prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been suspended with contiguous effect portion an probe into misconduct allegations continues.

The determination was made by a radical wrong the ICC's absorption oversight body, which has besides referred the substance to the court's 125 subordinate states.

Those states volition ballot connected Khan's aboriginal during a peculiar league that volition beryllium convened "as soon arsenic possible". The oversight Bureau stressed that the suspension does not prejudge the result of the case.

Khan has repeatedly denied each allegations of intersexual misconduct, with his lawyers describing the determination arsenic "unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence".

Previous media reports person cited a papers outlining accusations against Khan, which are understood to see unwanted intersexual touching and "abuse".

A two-thirds bulk would beryllium required to uphold immoderate finding, followed by a abstracted ballot connected whether Khan, should beryllium removed from office.

Khan, a salient British lawyer, has been connected voluntary permission to combat the allegations since May 2025.

Regardless of the last determination connected Karin Khan's destiny from the 125 subordinate states, the contention is improbable to extremity there.

The determination follows a highly delicate process that has near the tribunal nether aggravated scrutiny.

In May 2024, allegations that Khan had engaged successful intersexual misconduct involving a pistillate unit subordinate were reported to the ICC by a 3rd party.

The court's Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) opened an investigation, but the lawsuit was aboriginal closed aft the alleged unfortunate declined to participate.

Critics of the process argued that the probe had been mishandled, undermining assurance successful the IOM.

Investigators yet said determination was insufficient grounds to substantiate the allegations.

A 2nd referral was made successful October 2024. The substance was past transferred to the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), which conducted a broader probe into allegations of intersexual misconduct and maltreatment of authority.

That enquiry ran from November 2024 to December 2025 and generated much than 5,000 pages of grounds and testimony.

The OIOS findings were subsequently reviewed by a sheet of 3 judges tasked with advising the Bureau of the ASP connected whether Khan's behaviour amounted to superior misconduct, little superior misconduct, oregon nary misconduct.

The allegations person unfolded during a play of exceptional unit connected the ICC.

Staff members wrong the Office of the Prosecutor person warned that Khan's instrumentality could harm assurance successful the instauration and person expressed concerns astir imaginable retaliation.

Supporters of Khan, meanwhile, reason that the probe failed to substantiate the allegations against him.

The contention has besides coincided with wider governmental tensions surrounding the court.

Sanctions against the authoritative were aboriginal expanded to see 2 lawman prosecutors, 8 ICC judges, the UN Special Rapporteur connected the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Palestinian organisations that provided grounds to the court.

The United States, Russia and Israel are not members of the ICC. However, the tribunal tin workout jurisdiction implicit crimes committed by their nationals connected the territory of ICC subordinate states.

If the ASP were to question Khan's removal, helium could situation the determination earlier the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization (ILOAT), which hears employment-related appeals involving ICC staff.

Any effort to region Khan could truthful trigger a lengthy ineligible challenge, with the anticipation of reinstatement and important compensation if a tribunal recovered the disciplinary process had been flawed.