On June 8, the executive committee decided to refer the case to the Assembly of States Parties, the competent body responsible for making the final decision.
In accordance with procedural rules, the committee also decided to immediately suspend the prosecutor from his duties pending the Assembly's final ruling. The document emphasized that the suspension does not constitute a definitive conclusion in the case.
The assessment was based on the findings of an investigation by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services, evidence collected in the case, consultations with a special panel of judicial experts and written submissions from the parties involved.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the only permanent international tribunal with the authority to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court formally opened its investigation into Venezuela in 2021 following a referral by Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. It remains the ICC's only active case involving Latin America.
The Karim Khan case
The Wall Street Journal reported that a lawyer working under ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan accused him of repeatedly coercing her into sexual acts. According to the ICC staff member, Khan also tried to persuade her to withdraw her complaint, citing the sensitivity of the court's investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
The allegations surfaced shortly before Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The timing fueled speculation that the Israel case may have been used to divert attention from the controversy surrounding the prosecutor himself.
Khan has denied all allegations and described them as politically motivated. His temporary suspension came amid pressure from ICC staff and human rights advocates calling for an independent investigation.
On Nov. 9, 2024, Reuters, citing two informed sources, reported that the ICC's governing body would launch an external investigation into Khan over allegations of sexual misconduct.
One source told Reuters that the alleged victim did not trust the independence of the court's internal oversight body, whose new head had previously worked under Khan.
On March 17, 2023, Khan also sought arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.