Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has been suspended following a disciplinary review linked to allegations of sexual misconduct, as reported by The Guardian.
The decision was announced after the court’s executive committee voted to refer the matter to a special session of the ICC’s member states, which will determine the next steps regarding his position.
According to the report, the committee concluded by a qualified majority that Khan had engaged in serious misconduct in relation to allegations made by a former staff member. The claims, first raised in 2024, involve accusations of coercive and non-consensual sexual behavior between 2023 and 2024.
The decision was based on findings from a UN oversight report, recommendations from an independent panel of judicial experts, and submissions from both Khan and the complainant, the ICC’s governing body said, while stressing that the suspension should not be viewed as a final judgment on the case.
The move marks an unprecedented development for the ICC and could ultimately result in a vote by the court’s 125 member states on whether Khan should be removed from office. Khan, a prominent British lawyer, has consistently denied all allegations.
