A second woman has accused ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual misconduct, intensifying a UN investigation that could lead to his unprecedented removal.
The Guardian has reported a fresh allegation of sexual misconduct against International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan, deepening the scandal surrounding the embattled legal chief.
The complainant, a former intern who worked under Khan in The Hague in 2009, alleges he relentlessly harassed her, exploiting his authority to pressure her into working at his home. There, she says, he kissed and touched her and attempted to initiate further unwanted contact. “It was relentless,” she told investigators, adding that she feared speaking out would destroy her career.
Her testimony has now been added to the UN’s ongoing probe, which was launched last year after an ICC staff lawyer accused Khan of coercive sexual behavior during 2023–2024. Both women describe strikingly similar experiences: being invited to Khan’s residence under professional pretenses and then facing inappropriate advances.
Khan, 55, has temporarily stepped aside from his post and denies all allegations. His legal team insists he has “never engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind”, arguing that documentary evidence undercuts the accusations. They further suggested the complaints may be politically motivated attempts to discredit him after the ICC issued explosive arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The latest accuser, who was in her 20s at the time, noted that she eventually received a recommendation letter from Khan — one she says came at a heavy personal cost.
The UN watchdog leading the inquiry will submit its findings to the ICC’s governing body. If member states vote to remove Khan, it would mark an unprecedented step in the court’s history.
Meanwhile, sources close to the initial ICC staff complainant rejected suggestions that she is part of a pro-Israeli conspiracy. They emphasized that she is Muslim and was well known inside the prosecutor’s office for supporting the ICC’s investigation into Israeli officials’ alleged crimes in Gaza.
The mounting accusations place the court — already under fire for its high-profile indictments — at the center of a credibility crisis with global political implications.
