International Criminal Court member states voted Friday to dismiss the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, following allegations of sexual misconduct.
The vote to remove Khan comes days after his accuser went public in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Khan has denied all wrongdoing.
It also comes amid renewed scrutiny of the war crimes court by Washington, which sees the independent judicial body as a threat to the United States’ own sovereignty.
Assembly of States President Päivi Kaukoranta said 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted in favor of the prosecutor’s removal, concluding that Khan “committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty.”
Khan will challenge the decision, his attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement after the vote, adding that it was “unsupported by any lawful or properly reasoned finding that Mr Khan KC committed misconduct or breached his duties.”
