ICC prosecutor Khan removed over sexual misconduct allegations: Sources - Al Jazeera

The Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court voted on Friday, July 24, 2026, to remove prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual misconduct allegations, according to his legal team.
Khan's defence, led by Tayab Ali, characterized the removal as "political," noting it occurred while numerous court officials are under US sanctions and the court faces intense external pressure.
The dismissal follows Khan's 2024 issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, which prompted backlash from the United States and Israel, with the Trump administration sanctioning Khan and other ICC officials and judges.
Ali stated that a judicial panel had unanimously found that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services' findings "did not establish misconduct or breach of duty" under the relevant legal framework, and argued the Assembly's decision ignored that determination.
The 56-year-old British barrister had already stepped aside in June after an oversight panel concluded he committed "serious misconduct"; member states approved his dismissal roughly two years after the allegations first emerged.
The ICC announced that Khan's office will now be led by deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameen Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang, while his defence maintained he was never given a fair opportunity to be heard.