ICC chief prosecutor to step down during probe into sexual misconduct claims
Karim Khan has categorically denied the accusations against him.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is to temporarily step down pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Karim Khan has categorically denied accusations that he tried for more than a year to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her against her will.
Last year, an Associated Press investigation found that two court employees in whom the alleged victim confided came forward with the accusation in May.
That was a few weeks before Mr Khan sought arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, his defence minister and three Hamas leaders on war crimes charges.
The court, based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, said in a statement that Mr Khan on Friday ″communicated his decision to take leave until the end″ of an external investigation being carried by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the UN internal watchdog.
While Mr Khan is on leave, the court’s deputy prosecutors will be in charge of managing the prosecutor’s office.
