Israel has requested the annulment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and formally asked that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan be disqualified from the cases. The state argued that the legal process was tainted by Khan's personal misconduct and claims that he may have used baseless accusations to deflect attention from himself.
Khan, a British lawyer, faces disciplinary proceedings and a formal vote from the court's 125 member states regarding allegations of serious sexual misconduct involving a female staff member. The serious sexual misconduct allegations against International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan involve claims made by a female aide (a staff lawyer) regarding a pattern of coercive, non-consensual behavior spanning roughly a 12-month period.
The complainant testified to United Nations investigators that Khan physically coerced her into forcible sexual intercourse on multiple occasions. The staff member stated that she initially remained silent due to intense financial pressures and fear of professional retaliation. She also alleged that Khan later attempted to suppress her claims and pressured her to disavow the allegations.
The alleged incidents took place across multiple international locations while on official ICC missions, including New York, Colombia, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Paris, as well as at his office and a private residence in The Hague.
Karim Khan and his legal team have suggested that the claims may be part of a deliberate smear campaign designed to undermine the court, noting the timing aligned closely with his high-profile pursuit of arrest warrants against international leaders.
While a UN investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) reported a "factual basis" supporting the aide's claims, a subsequent legal assessment by a three-judge panel concluded that the evidence failed to establish misconduct "beyond a reasonable doubt". Despite the conflicting reports, the ICC’s governing body suspended Khan pending a final vote on his removal by the court's 125 member states.
