ICC chief prosecutor suspended after probe into sex abuse claims
The International Criminal Court's British chief prosecutor Karim Khan has been temporarily suspended after an internal probe into sexual-abuse claims raised by two female staff members. The decision raises the prospect of an institutional shock affecting the court's proceedings on the Gaza and Ukraine files. Khan has denied the allegations and said his legal team will challenge the process.
According to ABC News Australia, members of the court's administrative committee in The Hague took the decision unanimously in closed session on Monday; the temporary suspension will remain in force for the duration of the investigation. Romanian senior prosecutor Cristina Iliescu has been appointed acting chief prosecutor in place of Karim Khan. According to the committee's statement, the investigation will be conducted by an independent commission proposed by the UN Secretariat.
In a written statement, Carter-Ruck, the law firm representing Karim Khan, said the allegations "have no substantive basis" and that the temporary-suspension decision "will be challenged on legal grounds." International law expert Professor Sarah Williams, interviewed by the ABC, said the process could delay the court's proceedings on the Gaza and Russia-Ukraine arrest-warrant files. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN would "respect the procedures."
The Caribbean Community and several African states underlined that the temporary chief-prosecutor arrangement must be carried out with "guarantees of legal impartiality." A US State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the file. The ICC's Assembly of States Parties will consider a request to extend the suspension early next month; the case calendar in coming weeks will be watched closely on the diplomatic agenda, more than in markets.
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