The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) top prosecutor, Karim Khan, who recently issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged “war crimes” in Gaza, has been accused of attempting to suppress a sexual misconduct investigation against himself.
Khan, 54, faced allegations that he tried to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship for over a year and subsequently groped her without consent. The case surfaced amid a broader investigation into alleged war crimes involving Israeli and Hamas officials.
Multiple ICC staff members reported that Khan and an unnamed ally allegedly pressured the woman to retract her statements to protect his reputation, according to a report by The Guardian.
Khan is said to have spoken directly to the woman both in person and by phone, despite being advised by the court to avoid one-on-one contact with her during the investigation.
In his defense, Khan denied the accusations, stating that there was no truth to the claims and asserting that he had worked for 30 years without any such complaints.
According to internal ICC sources, the investigation into Khan’s alleged misconduct was launched in May, but the woman chose not to file a formal complaint after five days, reportedly due to a lack of trust in the ICC’s internal systems.
The accusations surfaced through a series of whistleblower documents, which detailed Khan’s alleged inappropriate behavior, including an incident where he allegedly touched the woman sexually after a private dinner in London. Other reports suggested that the prosecutor had been making unwanted advances towards the woman, resulting in emotional distress.
Although the woman ultimately dropped the case, the details of the investigation became public after an anonymous account, @ICC_Leaks, published the allegations online, sending shockwaves through the international legal community.
Khan, who was appointed ICC prosecutor in 2021, is well known for his previous role leading the UN’s Investigative Team, which sought to hold the Islamic State accountable for war crimes in Iraq. His leadership of the ICC and his long-standing career in international justice have been overshadowed by the scandal.
