ICC's governing body to investigate prosecutor accused of misconduct who is prosecuting Netanyahu for war crimes

(Patria) - The administrative body of the International Criminal Court will launch an external investigation against its chief prosecutor Karim Khan for alleged sexual abuse, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, Reuters reported.

In an internal document forwarded to member states, Khan was called upon to temporarily step down from his position at the permanent world court for war crimes, based in The Hague, while the investigation is ongoing.

The undated and unsigned document, seen by Reuters, was forwarded to member states by ICC staff.

Khan's office sent questions and phone calls to his lawyer, and repeated requests for comment sent to his lawyers went unanswered.

Khan denied allegations of misconduct that were reported to the court's administrative body last month. He then asked the court's internal oversight body to investigate them.

A source familiar with the matter said that an external investigation was agreed upon at a meeting on Thursday by the main group of the court's administrative body, the Assembly of States Parties. Reuters could not determine who would lead the investigation.

ICC judges are currently considering a request filed by Khan in May for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister, and Hamas leaders.

Khan said the allegations of misconduct coincided with a disinformation campaign against his office.

The internal document, forwarded for discussion, states that the court's independent, internal body for assessing conduct issues should have launched a formal investigation into the allegations when they were first reported.

A source familiar with the matter said that the alleged victim in the Khan case does not trust the independence of the court's internal body, whose new head is a former member of Khan's staff, because details of the report on alleged misconduct have been leaked.

The current and future head of the independent body did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The document also shows that pressure is mounting on Khan to step down temporarily and allow one of his deputy prosecutors to take over while the investigation proceeds.

"The prosecutor should immediately step aside to make way for an independent investigation," the document says.

It is unclear whether the court's body has asked Khan to do so. The ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression in member states or by their nationals.

Its administrative body holds an annual session at the beginning of next month.