Woman 'was urged to deny' ICC misconduct

The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court allegedly responded to a formal complaint of sexual misconduct against him by trying to persuade the alleged victim to deny the claims, the Guardian has been told.

- Harry Davies, Robert Flummerfelt

ICC staff with knowledge of the allegations against Karim Khan said the prosecutor and another official close to him repeatedly urged the woman to disavow claims about his behaviour towards her.

The alleged attempts to deter the woman from formally pursuing the claims took place in phone calls and in person, and came after Khan learned court authorities had been made aware of allegations of misconduct, four sources said.

At the time, the chief prosecutor had been advised to avoid one-on-one contact with the alleged victim after an aborted internal inquiry into the matter.

Contacted by the Guardian for comment, Khan denied asking the woman to withdraw any allegations.

His lawyers said: "Our client denies the whole of the allegations and we are most concerned the exposure of a confidential and closed internal matter is designed to undermine his high-profile ongoing work at a delicate time." After reports of alleged sexual misconduct began to circulate in the media in recent days, Khan denied the claims in a public statement that said he and the court had been "subject to a wide range of attacks and threats".

In anonymous briefings, court officials close to the prosecutor have suggested he might have been the target of a smear campaign.

"There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct," Khan's statement said. "I have worked in diverse contexts for 30 years and there has never been such a complaint lodged against me by anyone." The woman at the heart of the allegations - whom ICC colleagues describe as a well regarded lawyer in her 30s who worked directly for Khan - has declined requests for comment.

But sources familiar with the situation said she told colleagues she had declined the alleged requests to disavow the claims.