A panel of judges has cleared Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of all sexual misconduct allegations, according to an exclusive report by Middle East Eye.
The confidential findings were submitted on March 9 to the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the ICC’s executive oversight body.
Since December, the three-judge panel, appointed by the ASP, has been reviewing an external investigation conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services into allegations against Khan. The probe unfolded alongside his office’s efforts to pursue war crimes cases linked to the Gaza conflict.
The panel’s role was to provide independent legal advice on whether Khan, who has consistently denied the accusations, had committed serious misconduct, minor misconduct, or none at all.
According to multiple diplomatic sources familiar with the report, the judges unanimously concluded that the evidence “does not establish any misconduct or breach of duty.” The panel found that the factual findings of the OIOS investigation did not meet the threshold required to prove wrongdoing.
This conclusion marks a major turning point in the case, which had left the ICC in a state of uncertainty since Khan took voluntary leave last year amid ongoing scrutiny.
Under ICC procedures, if the ASP agrees to the panel’s conclusion, the case should be formally closed.It has 30 days to issue a preliminary assessment.