ICC nations to vote on Karim Khan's permanent removal over misconduct claims

Thehague,UPDATED: Jul 24, 2026 17:18 IST

Member nations of the Criminal Court are set to vote on Friday on whether to permanently remove the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, after a long-running sexual misconduct scandal. The process, which has stretched for more than two years, has raised concerns about the damage already caused to the court as it faces other major challenges, including a United States campaign to "dismantle" the ICC.

Khan, a 56-year-old British barrister, was formally removed from his duties in June after a report by the executive committee of the court’s oversight body found that he had committed "serious misconduct". According to documents seen by The Associated Press, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with a female aide and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations. Khan has denied the allegations and disputed those findings.

The handling of the case has exposed divisions within and around the court. "There has been splintering over how the court has handled this," Lucy Gaynor, a historian of international criminal tribunals at the University of Amsterdam, told AP. Last week, a group of Palestinian organisations wrote publicly that the executive committee’s actions amounted to "unwarranted political interference" and said it lacked "the independence, impartiality or legal expertise to make assessments". In June, the Federation for Human Rights, Redress and Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, along with others, said the victim had been "publicly questioned, instrumentalised, and too readily dismissed as part of a political agenda".

Staff members have also voiced concern about Khan’s possible return. A group within the prosecutor’s office wrote to the oversight body saying his "leadership has been materially diminished". Prominent international figures have also taken sharply different positions. In an opinion piece in Project Syndicate, former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the allegations were part of a plot against the court. "Khan’s enemies have managed to start a debate about his potential removal, with allegations of sexual misconduct serving as the tip of the spear," he wrote. Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, took the opposite view, saying on social media that Khan "clearly does not" have "the moral authority and credibility to continue serving as prosecutor".

Khan has given a series of interviews denying the allegations and arguing that they are part of a conspiracy linked to his investigation into Israeli officials. In an interview with CNN last week, the female staffer strongly rejected that claim. A United Nations investigation report seen by AP said that "multiple credible witnesses dismissed the notion that she was a spy".

Khan’s future will now be decided by the 125 countries in the Assembly of States Parties, the court’s oversight body, at a special session in New York. A majority is needed to back a resolution removing him, but the result of the secret vote remains unclear. The Netherlands and France are the only two countries to have publicly said they will vote for his removal. In a letter to Parliament last week, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said: "Although the balance of power within the ASP is still evolving, the position of most contracting parties also appears to be in line with the recommendation of the ASP Office."

Whatever the outcome, the ICC appears headed for more difficult days. The Trump administration has already sanctioned key ICC staff, including Khan, and says the 24-year-old tribunal challenges US sovereignty. Summing up the mood around the court, Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, told AP that, regardless of the result, "the court is going to walk away bruised and battered and wounded and less able to face the greater threats".

With PTI Inputs

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