Speculations surround timing of case against ICC chief prosecutor
(MENAFN) The sexual assault allegations made against International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan have sparked suspicion due to their timing, which closely preceded his move to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, RT columnist Rachel Marsden has pointed out.
According to Marsden, Khan had informed the UK government of his intent to pursue the warrants before going public. In response, then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron allegedly threatened to withdraw the UK from the ICC if the action proceeded.
Roughly one month before the official request for arrest warrants, in April 2024, an ICC staff member accused Khan of repeated sexual assault. She reported the matter to Thomas Lynch, a close legal adviser at the ICC, who then passed the complaint on to internal oversight channels.
Despite the U.S. never recognizing the ICC’s authority, Washington was strongly opposed to any legal action against Israeli officials. The U.S. threatened sanctions against Khan and eventually followed through, targeting him, some ICC judges, and the institution itself.
Two internal ICC investigations into Khan were dropped after the alleged victim declined to cooperate. However, the existence of the complaint was leaked to the media in October 2024—just ahead of the court’s formal issuance of arrest warrants in November.
Later, the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties publicly named Khan as a suspect and handed the investigation over to the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services. Former ICC judges criticized the move, saying it was highly irregular and fell outside standard procedures.
Marsden suggested that either Khan is experiencing extremely unfortunate timing or is the target of an obvious political takedown, the kind of storyline she claims wouldn’t even pass as believable in a fictional political drama.
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