International Criminal Court (ICC) special prosecutor Karim Khan was accused of sexual harassment by a woman working as his secretary, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday. The ICC launched an internal investigation into the claims after another employee reported to her superiors that the woman "was so upset she was in tears."
The allegations surfaced two weeks before Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their conduct in the war in Gaza. Khan also sought warrants against no slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas military wing chief Mohammed Deif.
The ICC investigation was conducted by the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) authorized to investigate claims of misconduct in the court but after the accuser refused to confirm or deny the alleged harassment or lodge a formal complaint, the IOM recommended a series of undisclosed measures 'to safeguard everyone's rights,' the Daily Mail said.
Khan denied any wrongdoing and said he was a victim of a deliberate smear campaign, adding he and the court were being subjected to a wide range of attacks and threats. "I absolutely can confirm there is no truth to suggestions of misconduct," he said.
In the IOM annual report that was published on Friday, Kahn's name was not mentioned although the accusations against him were included. According to the report, allegations of his misconduct were made on May 3 and the woman who made them was told she can bring her accusations to an outside body. "She still refused to file an official complaint," the report said.
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