ICC suspends chief prosecutor Karim Khan, giving member states final say

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CN) — Karim Khan, the prosecutor who took on presidents, prime ministers and warlords, has been suspended from the International Criminal Court while member states weigh whether he can remain in office after a female staff member accused him of sexual misconduct.

Late Monday night, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) referred disciplinary proceedings against Khan to the court's governing body, convened a special session and ordered his immediate suspension.

The bureau said Khan would remain sidelined while member states consider the disciplinary proceedings. It emphasized the suspension "is not an indication of the final outcome."

Bureau members reviewed a United Nations investigation, supporting evidence, advice from an ad hoc panel of judicial experts and written submissions, though the findings themselves will remain confidential.

A day later, the court's presidency urged member states to wrap up the process "with the highest priority."

Now the spotlight has shifted from Khan's cases to Khan himself.

In sexual misconduct claims first made public in 2024, people accused Khan of nonconsensual sexual conduct toward a female staff member. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press described incidents during official travel and at other locations connected to Khan's work. Khan has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and stepped aside in May 2025 while a U.N. investigation continued.

Even after months of investigation, the picture remained unclear. U.N. investigators found evidence supporting the account, while judicial experts reviewing the same material concluded it was not conclusive enough to support a legal finding of misconduct, according to AP. Few institutions are built for that kind of impasse, and the ICC had never faced disciplinary proceedings against a sitting chief prosecutor.

Khan is hardly a low-profile figure. Since taking office in 2021, he has pushed the court into some of the world's most politically explosive conflicts, securing arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and later warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif. The move triggered a furious backlash from Israel and its allies, and eventually helped place the court in Washington's crosshairs. U.S. lawmakers pushed to impose sanctions on Khan and other court officials over the ICC's actions targeting Israeli officials.

Khan's lawyers blasted the bureau's decision Tuesday, calling it "unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence." In a statement issued by law firms Bindmans and Carter-Ruck, they said the move disregarded the unanimous conclusions of an independent judicial panel appointed by the bureau itself, which found that evidence gathered by U.N. investigators did not establish misconduct or a breach of duty. The legal team said it would take all necessary steps to challenge the decision and protect Khan's rights.

The suspension also handed fresh ammunition to Khan's critics. Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, called the ICC "rotten to the core" and said it should withdraw its "bogus indictments" against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The prosecutor's office, meanwhile, kept its distance. In a statement, it said it takes note of the bureau's decision, respects the ongoing process and will continue cooperating as appropriate. Echoing the ASP presidency, it called for protecting "the integrity of the ongoing disciplinary process" and respecting "the privacy and rights of all involved parties." The office added that maintaining a safe and respectful workplace remains a priority.

The Assembly of States Parties now has the final say. The bureau said it will convene a special session as soon as possible to decide Khan's fate.

For now, Khan remains suspended. The evidence remains confidential. And the final chapter in the biggest crisis of his tenure will be written not by prosecutors or judges, but by the court's 125 member states.

Courthouse News reporter Eunseo Hong is based in the Netherlands.