ICC prosecutor dismissed over sexual misconduct

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan has been dismissed over sexual misconduct allegations, Reuters reported on Saturday (July 25), citing an official ICC statement. The statement said ICC member states voted to dismiss the prosecutor. Diplomats on the court’s executive bureau said last month that British barrister Karim Khan had an illicit sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer. He should be dismissed.
On Friday, an overwhelming majority of the ICC’s 125 member states voted to follow that recommendation. The court’s board of directors president, Paivi Kaukoranta, said the council had decided by a majority of 82 member states that Karim Khan had committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty. Karim Khan was removed from his post.
Karim Khan has denied the allegations. After the vote, his lawyer, Taiab Ali, said Karim Khan would challenge the legality and fairness of the decision through all legal processes. Meanwhile, the ICC has immediately begun the process of selecting a new prosecutor in the wake of Khan’s dismissal.
Laila Sadat, a professor of international criminal law at the University of Washington, said the court’s members took swift and decisive action to remove a troubled and disgraced official so that the court can move forward with the important work of all its pending cases.