The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, on Friday May 16, 2025, took leave to pave the way for the investigations by the United Nations concerning his alleged sexual misconduct.
Khan’s decision to step aside comes as a result unwanted sexual contact by a woman who worked for him at the ICC prosecutor’s office. However, Khan has denied the allegations.
A female aide accused Khan of harassing her into non-consensual sexual acts and groping her during work trips to various locations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, New York, Paris, and The Hague.
She also alleged that Khan pressured her to withdraw her accusations to avoid jeopardizing the ICC’s high-profile investigations, particularly those involving Israeli leaders.
The rise of Karim Khan
Karim Khan was born on 30 March 1970 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He is the son of a Pakistani dermatologist and a British nurse.
Khan earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from King’s College London and later pursued doctoral studies at Wolfson College, Oxford.
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He became a lawyer specializing in international Criminal and Human Rights Law.
In addition, h was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1992.
Work Experience
Karim Khan has over three decades of experience in international criminal law, having served in various capacities, including:
He was a prosecutor and defense counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Moreover, he was a legal advisor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
He served as President of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA) from 2017 to 2018.
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From 2018 to 2021, he served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as the first Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD).
This role involved leading investigations into war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity committed by ISIL in Iraq.
Prosecutorial Role in ICC
In February 2021, Khan was elected as the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC by the Assembly of States Parties, securing 72 votes in the second round of voting.
Consequently, he officially assumed office on 16 June 2021, succeeding Fatou Bensouda.
During his tenure, Khan has overseen several high-profile investigations and prosecutions, including the issuance of arrest warrants for individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
As a respected Counsel, he represented William Ruto at the International Criminal Court (ICC) during proceedings related to the 2007–2008 post-election violence in Kenya.
Ruto’s trial commenced on September 10, 2013, with Khan serving as his lead defense counsel.
The case ended on April 5, 2016, when the ICC judges terminated the proceedings due to insufficient evidence, citing issues such as witness interference and lack of cooperation from the Kenyan government.
Other Kenyans who faced charged at The Hague included former President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, Henry Kosgey, Joshua arap Sang and Francis Muthaura who served as head of Public Service.
They were popularly known as Ocampo 6.
Lui Moreno Ocampo was the chief prosecutor before handing over to Bensuda.
Notably, in May 2024, the ICC applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail
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