The executive bureau of the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties has recommended the removal of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following an 18-month investigation into allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior staff member.
The bureau concluded that Khan’s behaviour, which began as an improper relationship, escalated into non-consensual sexual contact.
It highlighted the significant power imbalance between the chief prosecutor and a subordinate as making any such relationship unacceptable.
The recommendation was made on Wednesday, June 24.
Khan, a 56-year-old British barrister who took office in 2021, has strongly denied the allegations.
His legal team described the bureau’s decision as “unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.”
They pointed to a separate judicial review panel that found the evidence did not meet the criminal standard of proof “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The case will now go to a full vote by the ICC’s 125 member states at a special session of the Assembly of States Parties in New York next month, on July 24.
A simple majority of at least 63 votes is required to dismiss him.
The allegations first surfaced internally in 2024 and led to Khan stepping aside temporarily in 2025.
A UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation examined claims of repeated non-consensual contact in the office, at Khan’s residence, and during official missions.
While the UN probe found a factual basis for the allegations, the judicial panel reviewing the evidence applied a stricter legal threshold.
The scandal has embarrassed the court at a sensitive time.
Khan’s office issued high-profile arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant last year, drawing strong criticism and sanctions from the United States and Israel.
Those warrants remain in force regardless of the outcome of the removal process.
Critics of the ICC have seized on the affair to question the institution’s credibility and internal standards of conduct.
Supporters argue the process shows the court is capable of holding even its most senior officials to account. They also connect Khan’s lot with his actions against Israeli officials.
Others note the irony of an institution that frequently lectures governments on governance and human rights now grappling with serious misconduct at the very top of its prosecutorial office.
If Khan is removed, it would mark the first time a sitting ICC chief prosecutor has been dismissed.
He was already suspended on June 9, following an 18-month investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services.
Prior to this scandal, the institution was already facing accusations of political bias, slow proceedings and limited enforcement power.
