The disciplinary case against International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has no resolution in sight. An internal memo circulated to staff on Sunday — and obtained by Reuters — confirms that the court’s executive branch continues to review the allegations.
Khan temporarily stepped away from his duties after accusations emerged. A lawyer working under him alleged a non-consensual sexual relationship. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Judicial Panel Finds No Misconduct
An outside panel of judges already reviewed the matter. Khan’s legal team says the panel produced a thorough, unanimous analysis. Their conclusion: the factual findings did not establish misconduct or any breach of duty.
His lawyers argue the next step is straightforward. The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties — the ICC’s political body — should formally accept that conclusion. The Bureau met on Monday but reached no decision, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the proceedings.
The ASP President reinforced that the process remains ongoing and confidential. In a public statement, the President cautioned against drawing conclusions from media reports. The statement stressed the complexity of the issues and the Bureau’s commitment to due process.
The court itself declined to comment.
Competing Narratives in the Press
Over the weekend, the Middle East Eye reported that the judicial panel had cleared Khan. A spokesperson for the outlet stood by the reporting. The panel’s written conclusions, according to the spokesperson, explicitly stated that no case of misconduct existed based on evidence from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.
That UN body spent roughly a year conducting its fact-finding investigation. It submitted a confidential report to the ASP in December.
A Court Under Pressure From All Sides
The timing of this internal crisis has hit the ICC hard. The misconduct probe unfolded alongside a wave of U.S. sanctions. Washington targeted Khan and other court officials over their investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. That process ultimately led to the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ICC serves as the world’s court of last resort for the most serious international crimes. It counts 125 member nations. But China, Russia, and the United States never joined. All three have pushed back against Khan’s arrest warrants for sitting heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Netanyahu.
The combination of sanctions pressure and a prolonged leadership vacuum has left the institution facing what many observers call an existential moment.
