May 16 (UPI) — International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan notified the court Friday he will take a leave from his duties until an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him concludes.
A female assistant, an attorney in her 30s, accused Khan of forced sexual intercourse multiple times in New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris as well as at Khan’s home at the Hague.
Khan’s defense lawyers called the allegations “categorically untrue.”
A spokesman for the ICC told the Wall Street Journal in an email that Khan “communicated…via email his decision to take leave” until the investigation is over.
Khan said in an email to staff “In light of escalating media reports, I have made the considered decision to take leave until the completion of the investigation.”
The U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services is expected to issue a report on the investigation in coming months.
The Wall Street Journal and Drop Site News first reported the allegations. The female aide testified to United Nations investigators about the allegations.
Based on documents it has reviewed, the Washington Post reported that the allegations against Khan occurred over approximately a year.
It’s being investigated as part of an alleged pattern of abuse that also included sexual harassment and inappropriate touching.
