ICC Prosecutor to face external inquiry into misconduct claims

The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) will face an external investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, its governing body said yesterday.

- Harry Davies

In a statement, the president of the body that oversees the ICC said the inquiry would examine the allegations against Karim Khan, which relate to his alleged conduct towards a woman who worked for him.

Since the allegations emerged last month, intense behind-the-scenes negotiations have taken place among the court's member states about the shape and scope of the investigation, as the court has scrambled to formulate a response to the allegations.

Päivi Kaukoranta, the president of the governing body, the assembly of state parties (ASP), said an external investigation was being "pursued in order to ensure a fully independent, impartial and fair process".

She said the ASP was still finalising the "practical modalities of the investigation" and that the involved parties have been informed that the court's internal watchdog had been relieved from investigating the matter. She did not announce who would carry out the investigation.

The external inquiry will examine the allegations against the prosecutor, which the Guardian reported last month include claims of unwanted sexual touching and "abuse" over an extended period, as well as coercive behaviour and abuse of authority.