ICC chief prosecutor takes 'leave of absence' amid sex abuse allegations

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), will temporarily step down from his post amid allegations of sexual abuse against him, court sources told the Reuters news agency on Friday.

An official announcement on Khan's "leave of absence" is expected to be made soon.

Israel recently asked the ICC to annul the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-defense minister Yoav Gallant after they were charged with "war crimes" over the Gaza conflict that began following the brutal October 7 massacre perpetrated by the terrorist group Hamas in 2023.

Israel made the request after assessing investigations and allegations of sexual assault against Khan.

According to reports, two of Khan's deputies demanded that he take a leave of absence, but he refused and asked them to resign.

One of the sources claimed that Khan decided to leave his post temporarily due to the sexual abuse allegations made by a complainant, although this could strengthen the Israeli request to annul the arrest warrants.

Did Khan try to divert attention from the allegations against him?

In Israel they suspect that Khan filed the arrest warrants to divert attention from the allegations against him, as weeks before the ICC chief prosecutor decided to move forward with the move against Netanyahu and Gallant two complaints had been filed within the court indicating that Khan had sexually assaulted one of his assistants.

Trump's sanctions against the ICC

Last February, the Trump Administration imposed sanctions against Khan following the ICC's decision in November to issue the warrants for Netanyahu's arrest.

As a result, this week Khan reportedly lost access to his email and his bank accounts were frozen. In addition, US staff at the Court in The Hague were informed that they could face arrest if they travel to the U.S. In addition, some NGOs have stopped collaborating with the ICC.

Amid this tense climate and the possibility that the U.S. will soon impose new sanctions, senior ICC officials have reportedly pressured Khan to withdraw.

The allegations against Khan

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the complainant, a 30-year-old Malaysian lawyer, told investigators that Khan invited her to his hotel room in New York to discuss work matters, where he touched her in a sexual manner. This action continued for months. And when the woman wanted to leave the room, the prosecutor forcibly held her by the hand and took her to bed, took off his pants and forced her to have sex.

The complainant added that Khan never used a condom during the assaults, which continued after the incident in New York. In early 2024, in Venezuela, Khan knocked on her door at 3 a.m., but she pretended to be asleep. The next day, in Colombia, she avoided an encounter claiming to be feeling unwell, but Khan went to her room and sexually assaulted her.

According to the report, Khan approached her in tears to pressure her to withdraw the complaint.