The court’s chief prosecutor denies wrongdoing, but an oversight report finding credible sexual-assault allegations has pushed the International Criminal Court toward an unprecedented July decision.
The International Criminal Court is preparing for a decisive vote on whether to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, placing one of the world’s most important judicial institutions at the center of a deepening leadership crisis.
The vote is scheduled for July 24, 2026, after the court’s governing process was triggered by findings from an oversight review into sexual-misconduct allegations against Khan. According to reporting cited by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, the review concluded that allegations against him were credible and that his conduct amounted to serious misconduct. Khan has denied wrongdoing and has challenged the process, arguing that the proceedings were unfair.
The allegations involve claims of non-consensual sexual conduct with a lawyer in Khan’s office. The matter has been under investigation for more than a year and has already led to Khan stepping away from his duties. Reuters reported that Khan has been suspended by the ICC’s governing body pending a wider decision by member states, while his responsibilities have been handled by deputies.
The case has exposed a serious institutional challenge for the ICC, which prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The court is currently handling politically sensitive investigations involving conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and other regions, making any instability in the prosecutor’s office particularly consequential.
Khan’s supporters have argued that the accusations must be viewed against the political pressure surrounding the court, especially after his office pursued arrest warrants connected to the Israel-Gaza war. But the oversight findings have intensified pressure on ICC member states to show that internal accountability applies even at the highest levels of the institution.
The July vote could become a defining moment for the court. Removing a chief prosecutor would be an extraordinary step and could deepen divisions among the ICC’s 125 member states. Keeping Khan in office, however, could raise further questions about the court’s ability to enforce standards of conduct within its own leadership.
For the ICC, the issue is no longer only about one official. It is about whether an institution built to judge grave abuses of power can demonstrate transparency, fairness and accountability when the allegations concern its own top prosecutor.
