ICC prosecutor who sought arrest warrant for Netanyahu accused of trying to suppress sexual misconduct probe against himself

The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor who issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over “war crimes” in Gaza was accused of trying to suppress a sexual misconduct investigation against himself.Karim Khan, 54, faced accusations that he tried for more than a year to push a female aide into a sexual relationship and then groped her against her will.During the investigation, which was launched amid the probe against Israeli and Hamas officials, multiple ICC staff claimed Khan and an ally at the court repeatedly pushed the woman to recant her statements to protect his reputation, the Guardian reported.

The British-appointed prosecutor and another ICC official, who was not named, allegedly spoke to the woman in person and over the phone about the case after Khan learned of the internal probe against him, four sources with knowledge of the investigation told the UK outlet.The conversations were held despite the court advising Khan to avoid one-on-one contact with the alleged victim.Khan has maintained that he never coerced the woman or groped her, with the court’s anonymous briefings suggesting that the prosecutor was the target of a smear campaign over his decision to go after Netanyahu.

“There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct,” Khan’s statement said.“I have worked in diverse contexts for 30 years, and there has never been such a complaint lodged against me by anyone.”Two of the victims’ co-workers said The Hague reported the alleged misconduct in May, which ended only after five days when the woman chose not to file a formal complaint.

While the woman has declined to discuss the case with reporters, people close to her say her decision to drop the case was driven by a distrust of the ICC and its internal watchdog group.The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a global court established in 2002 with the power to prosecute the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, includi...