HAGUE, Netherlands – U.N. investigators are now examining claims that International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan retaliated against staff who raised or criticized his handling of sexual misconduct allegations made against him, according to five sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Three of the sources said the U.N. probe, led by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), is focused not only on the original misconduct claims involving a female subordinate but also on Khan’s alleged demotion of at least four staff members connected to the matter.
In a written statement, Khan’s legal team denied all allegations, saying the prosecutor “has not engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind” or in “retaliatory behavior.”
The statement added that Khan “looks forward to cooperating fully and transparently with the external investigation.”
Khan has not yet been questioned, sources said, and both the ICC and the U.N. have declined to comment on the specifics of the inquiry.
The ICC’s governing body, which commissioned the probe last year, said further information would be provided once the investigation concludes.
The allegations come at a time when Khan is under international scrutiny for overseeing investigations into high-profile global leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for both leaders—Putin for the alleged deportation of children from Ukraine, and Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Both countries reject the court’s jurisdiction, as neither is a signatory to the Rome Statute.
The United States recently imposed sanctions on Khan, a move the ICC’s president warned could threaten the court’s independence.
Khan has dismissed the original misconduct complaint, made in October 2024, as part of a “misinformation campaign” aimed at undermining his office.
