The International Criminal Court (ICC) is facing a crisis of confidence after its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was accused of sexual abuse by two women. The allegations, which have been the subject of an ongoing investigation, come at a crucial juncture for the British lawyer, who is set to face a vote on his potential removal from office next week.
An ICC staffer, identified as Sarah, described her experiences with Khan in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. She alleged that during an official visit to Colombia, Khan entered her hotel room and groped her while she pretended to be asleep. This incident was part of a pattern of behaviour, according to Sarah, who characterised it as an "escalation of attempts" to cross her boundaries.
A second woman, Patricia, also came forward with allegations against Khan. She claimed that during her internship at his house in 2009, she experienced a "constant onslaught" of unwanted advances, including groping and attempts to initiate intimate activity. Patricia had previously spoken to The Guardian about her experiences last year.
Khan's lawyer, Sareta Ashraph, maintained that the allegations from both women are not new and that Khan continues to deny them "in their entirety." However, Ashraph acknowledged that the timing of the interviews was significant, coming just a week before the vote on Khan's future. She expressed concern that the environment had become more political than legal.
Last month, the executive committee of the ICC's governing body suspended Khan after concluding that he had committed serious misconduct related to the sexual abuse claims involving Sarah. The matter was then referred to the court's 125 member states to decide his future. Khan's legal team has argued that the disciplinary process against him is politically motivated and "procedurally unfair."
Khan, who was elected in 2021 for a nine-year term, leads the court's prosecution division, responsible for investigating and prosecuting individuals accused of international atrocities. His tenure was first disrupted in late 2024 when Sarah's allegations initially emerged. Documents seen by The Guardian indicate that the disciplinary process found no evidence to support suggestions that Sarah was being manipulated by third parties, including intelligence agencies.