The Worldwide Legal Court docket will launch an exterior probe into sexual misconduct accusations in opposition to its high prosecutor Karim Khan.
The exterior probe will hold alive a case that the courtroom’s inner watchdog had closed inside 5 days.
Karim Khan has categorically denied the accusations that he tried to coerce a feminine aide right into a sexual relationship, and the claims come amid studies of an ongoing Israeli intelligence marketing campaign to discredit the courtroom’s prosecution of Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged battle crimes in Gaza.
The exterior investigation was accepted this week at a gathering of the courtroom’s oversight physique, the Meeting of States Events to the Rome Statute, in keeping with three individuals conversant in the matter who spoke to AP on situation of anonymity to debate the closed-door deliberations.
It was unclear precisely who would conduct the probe, the individuals mentioned, noting that potentialities included regulation enforcement officers from Europe and a regulation agency. The United Nations’ inner watchdog has additionally been mentioned for such a probe however that might be fraught with conflict-of-interest considerations as a result of Karim’s spouse, a outstanding human rights lawyer, had beforehand labored on the company in Kenya investigating sexual harassment.
Neither Päivi Kaukoranta, a Finnish diplomat at the moment heading the ICC’s oversight physique, nor Khan’s lawyer instantly responded to requests for remark.
An AP investigation discovered that two courtroom staff in whom the alleged sufferer confided got here ahead with the accusation in Could, a number of weeks earlier than Khan sought arrest warrants in opposition to Netanyahu, his defence minister and three Hamas leaders on battle crimes fees. A 3-judge panel is now weighing that request.
AP reported that Khan travelled often with the lady after transferring her to his workplace from one other division on the ICC’s headquarters in The Hague.
Throughout one overseas journey, Khan allegedly requested the lady to relaxation with him on a resort mattress after which “sexually touched her,” in keeping with whistle-blower paperwork shared with the courtroom’s watchdog and seen by the AP. Later, he got here to her room at 3 a.m. and knocked on the door for 10 minutes.
Different allegedly non-consensual behaviour cited within the paperwork included locking the door of his workplace and sticking his hand in her pocket. He additionally allegedly requested her on a number of events to go on a trip collectively.
After the 2 co-workers reported the alleged behaviour, the courtroom’s inner watchdog interviewed the lady however she opted in opposition to submitting a grievance attributable to her mistrust of the watchdog, in keeping with the AP investigation. Khan was by no means questioned and the watchdog’s inquiry was closed inside 5 days.
Whereas the courtroom’s watchdog couldn’t decide wrongdoing, it nonetheless urged Khan in a memo to minimise contact with the lady to guard the rights of all concerned and safeguard the courtroom’s integrity.
Below Khan, the ICC has turn into extra assertive in combating crimes in opposition to humanity, battle crimes and associated atrocities. Alongside the best way, it has added to a rising listing of enemies.
Final September, following the opening of a probe into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the courtroom suffered a debilitating cyberattack that left workers unable to work for weeks. It additionally employed an intern who was later criminally charged within the U.S. with being a Russian spy.
Israel has additionally been waging its personal affect marketing campaign ever for the reason that ICC recognised Palestine as a member and in 2015 opened a preliminary investigation into Israel’s actions.
London’s The Guardian newspaper and a number of other Israeli information retailers reported this summer season that Israel’s intelligence businesses for the previous decade have allegedly focused senior ICC workers, together with placing Khan’s predecessor underneath surveillance and displaying up at her home with envelopes filled with money to discredit her.
An exterior probe would go additional than what Khan proposed when, following the AP report, he referred to as on the ICC’s inner watchdog to analyze the matter and mentioned he would totally cooperate.
