ICC Top Prosecutor Ousted After Misconduct Probe

Khan, a well-known British lawyer, had been on voluntary leave since May 2025 while he fought the allegations. He remains suspended from practicing law in the United Kingdom, where the Bar Standards Board imposed an interim ban while it carries out its own inquiry. He was not able to attend the vote at United Nations headquarters in New York because he is barred from entering the United States under Trump administration sanctions tied to the ICC’s investigation of alleged war crimes by Israeli officials in Gaza.

The ICC prosecutor issue has also been shaped by a long and sensitive investigation process. In May 2024, a third party reported allegations that Khan had engaged in sexual misconduct involving a female staff member. The court’s Independent Oversight Mechanism opened a case, but it was later closed after the alleged victim declined to take part. Critics said that investigation was mishandled, while investigators concluded there was not enough evidence to support the claims.

A second referral followed in October 2024, and the matter was moved to the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services. That broader inquiry, which ran from November 2024 to December 2025, produced more than 5,000 pages of evidence and testimony. A panel of three judges then reviewed the findings and advised whether Khan’s conduct amounted to serious misconduct, less serious misconduct, or no misconduct.

The fallout comes at a difficult moment for the court. The United States has grown more hostile toward the ICC in recent years, and this month Washington launched a new government-wide campaign to dismantle the court brick by brick, saying it threatens American sovereignty. For Americans watching, the fight over the ICC prosecutor is about more than one man’s future; it is a test of whether an international tribunal can hold its own under political fire and still function as a credible court.