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The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has been suspended pending a vote by member states on his fate, the court's governing body said after an investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against him.
A diplomatic source briefed on the decision told Reuters that the executive bureau of the court's governing body had ruled that Khan had committed serious misconduct after an 18-month trial on the charges. The source added that the bureau had recommended that the prosecutor be removed from office.
The ICJ's governing body will send its conclusion to all 125 ICJ member states, which will vote on Khan's fate at a special session called at a later date.
In its press release, the bureau said it had taken a decision on disciplinary proceedings against Khan and referred the matter to the Assembly of States Parties to the ICJ, but did not provide details about what it decided.
Khan's lawyers said in a statement that he rejected the verdict and denied any wrongdoing. The International Criminal Court has been embroiled in a crisis over investigations into Khan, its most prominent official, and US sanctions over the court's actions, including arrest warrants for Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.
Khan has not been at the helm of the ICC prosecutor's office since last May, when he took a voluntary leave of absence pending the outcome of the investigation.
He is the first ICJ prosecutor to be officially suspended from his role by the court's supervisory body.
Sources told Reuters earlier that a report by United Nations investigators found a "factual basis" for allegations of sexual misconduct made by a female aide and that witness accounts "support her claims."
However, a second report by three judges that analyzed the UN report found insufficient evidence to prove the charges "beyond reasonable doubt," they added.
Khan's lawyers had told Reuters that the judges unanimously concluded that "the factual findings do not establish misconduct or breach of duty."
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