Karim Khan, the British barrister who serves as chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, broke his public silence on Friday, telling Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya TV that the move to remove him from his position was improper and without legal basis.
“Unfortunately, the court’s bureau violated procedures, and what happened was astonishing, unjustified and unlawful,” Khan said through an interpreter. The remarks marked his first public statements since diplomats overseeing the ICC’s governing body voted to suspend him.
According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the executive bureau of the ICC’s oversight body concluded that Khan had engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior member of his staff.
Khan also repeated arguments previously made by his legal team, stating that an independent review conducted by outside judges found the evidence against him fell short of proving the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt.” He noted that the bureau chose to disregard those findings.
The executive bureau’s decision will now be used to guide a formal vote on Khan’s future, set to take place on July 24 in New York before the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, which is made up of 125 member nations.
