International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has been suspended amid an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Khan was suspended on Monday, June 8, after the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties voted to refer his case to disciplinary proceedings.
In a statement, the governing body said its decision to suspend Khan was not an indication of the outcome.
“The bureau emphasises that this suspension is not an indication of the final outcome,” read part of the statement.
The 56-year-old is facing allegations of sexual misconduct with a female aide, in a scandal that has dragged on for more than two years.
The final decision on Khan’s fate is now up to the Assembly of States Parties, the body that oversees the ICC, which will hold a special session to decide if Khan can remain in his job at the international court.
This comes weeks after Khan took a leave of absence from the global court in May 2025 pending the outcome of the investigation.
The allegations against Khan were first reported in 2024 to the Independent Oversight Mechanism, the body responsible for overseeing the court.
The ICC Chief Prosecutor is alleged to have asked the reported victim to rest with him on a hotel bed and then sexually touched her.
Khan, who is a British national, was elected as the ICC chief prosecutor in 2021, succeeding Fatou Bensouda.
Previously, Khan served as lead defence counsel for President William Ruto during ICC proceedings stemming from the 2007–2008 post-election violence in Kenya.
