The governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) plans to launch an external investigation into Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is suspected of sexual harassment. This was reported by Reuters.
An internal document calling on Khan to temporarily suspend his duties in The Hague for the duration of the investigation was circulated among the ICC member states.
The Reuters editorial board reviewed the document, which has no dates or signatures, but states that it was circulated by ICC staff among the states parties.
Khan himself has denied the allegations of misconduct, which came to the attention of the court’s governing body in October, and has asked the ICC’s internal oversight structure to investigate.
According to a Reuters source, the decision to open an external investigation was made on 7 November at a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties, which is the main governing body of the ICC.
Karim Khan, for his part, said that the accusations arose as part of a disinformation campaign against his office.
It should be noted that the ICC judges are currently considering a request filed by Khan in May for an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister and Hamas leaders.
