THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor has called for an internal investigation into allegations he tried to coerce a female aide into a sexual relationship and groped her.
Karim Khan's request Monday follows an investigation by The Associated Press detailing allegations made in May by two co-workers in whom the woman confided as the chief prosecutor was preparing to seek charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of Hamas over their actions in Gaza.
Khan has previously said there was “no truth” to the misconduct allegations and court officials told the AP they may have been made as part of an Israeli intelligence smear campaign to discredit the court.
In a social media post Monday, the British jurist complained that recent media reporting had breached the confidentiality of the court's internal proceedings and spread “disinformation” that violated his rights as well as those of the alleged victim. Khan said he would cooperate fully with any inquiry made under the court's Independent Oversight Mechanism — the same watchdog that closed an inquiry just five days after receiving the third-party complaint.
The inquiry should be “permitted to do its work without interference so that the crucial work of the Office may continue unimpeded,” he said, declining further comment.
The court's watchdog previously determined no investigation was necessary, and didn't question Khan about his behavior, when the alleged victim opted against filing a formal complaint.
People close to the woman, who still works at the court, told AP that she opted against a complaint at the time because she didn’t trust the internal watchdog and has since asked the body of member-states that oversees the ICC to launch an external probe.
AP pieced together details of the accusations through whistleblower documents shared with the watchdog and interviews with eight ICC officials and individuals close to the woman. All spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the allegations or fear of retaliation.
Among the allegations told to AP is that Khan during a foreign trip asked the woman to rest with him on a hotel bed and then “sexually touched her,” according to the documents. Later, he came to her room at 3 a.m. and knocked on the door for 10 minutes.
Other allegedly nonconsensual behavior cited in the documents included locking the door of his office and sticking his hand in her pocket. He also allegedly asked her on several occasions to go on a vacation together.
While the watchdog could not determine wrongdoing before ending its initial inquiry, it nonetheless urged Khan in a memo to minimize contact with the woman to protect the rights of all involved and safeguard the court’s integrity.
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Goodman reported from Miami. Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.