The International Criminal Court (ICC) has scheduled a vote for July 24 on whether to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from office, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing diplomats and documents.
Last week, the ICC’s oversight council announced that Khan had been temporarily barred from his duties pending the vote regarding his professional future, following a comprehensive inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment brought against him.
An individual within diplomatic circles who was updated on the administrative action told Reuters the executive bureau of the court's governing body concluded that Khan committed serious misconduct. The finding concludes an 18-month investigation into the matter.
Khan has persistently maintained his innocence and refuted all accusations.
The Wall Street Journal reported last May that Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant within three weeks of the first accusations of sexual harassment against him, further fueling the accusations that the warrants were politically motivated.
While Khan stopped short of directly accusing Israel of being behind the allegations, his public denial mentioned that he and the ICC have been the targets of “a wide range of recent attacks and threats" in recent months.
However, a months-long investigation by The Guardian found no evidence of Israeli or other foreign involvement in the core allegations against Khan.