Back in October 2024, The Mail reported that Karim Khan, 54, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, had faced allegations of misconduct related to harassment claims involving a female colleague.
Paivi Kaukoranta, President of the Assembly of States Parties, which oversees the Hague court, said she was aware of public reports about alleged misconduct by the ICC Prosecutor toward a staff member, and added, “The Court has a zero-tolerance policy towards prohibited conduct, such as harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority. Any reports of misconduct are taken very seriously, with full respect for the presumption of innocence, as well as the duty of care towards ICC personnel.”
Now, according to a report on Sunday in The Wall Street Journal, an employee of Karim Khan had accused him of repeatedly raping her. According to the report, Khan urged the woman not to testify against him, claiming that she would harm efforts to issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials. This is because he knew that she supported issuing arrest warrants.
In a recording of a conversation between the two held by UN investigators, Khan is heard telling the woman that her accusations would harm “the victims’ justice.” In another instance, the woman testified Khan told her, “Think about the arrest warrants.”
Khan was questioned by investigators last week. The Wall Street Journal also reported that two and a half weeks after Khan learned of the charges against him, in May of 2024, he announced his intention to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Khan rejected his alleged victim’s claims, as well as the claims that the timing of issuing the warrants was linked to her testimony against him.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, which is based on documents and sources familiar with the complainant’s testimony, the woman said that Khan invited her to his hotel room during a work trip, and then forced himself on her. She testified that she tried to escape the room several times, unsuccessfully. According to her, Khan had attacked her in a similar way on several previous occasions. The woman, a Malaysian lawyer in her 30s and a mother of one, testified that she decided not to resign due to the importance of the job and its financial benefits, and also because she was afraid of Khan’s revenge.
On October 24, 2024, The Guardian reported, citing the court’s governing body, that ICC Prosecutor Khan had been accused of misconduct toward a member of his office. The president of the ICC’s assembly of state parties, its management oversight and legislative body, said back then: “I am aware of recent public reports regarding alleged misconduct by the ICC prosecutor towards a member of his office. I can confirm that the independent oversight mechanism (IOM) was seized of this matter on the basis of a third-party report.”
