Two women who have accused International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual abuse have spoken out about their allegations against the prominent British lawyer. An ICC staffer identified as Sarah, a 39-year-old lawyer from Malaysia who served as Khan’s direct special assistant between 2023 and 2024, described his behavior as an "escalation of attempts." She stated that the conduct involved "encroachments on the boundaries slowly – not just physically, but emotionally as well."
Sarah alleged that during an official visit to Colombia, Khan entered her hotel room and, while she pretended to be asleep, "started to put his hand down my leggings, to grope me, to put his tongue in my ear." Khan has denied these allegations in their entirety. A second woman, referred to by the pseudonym Patricia, alleged that during an internship in 2009, she faced a "constant onslaught" of groping, kissing, and unwanted touching at his home. She claimed this occurred every time she was required to work there.
The allegations arrive at a critical time for the ICC, as member states are scheduled to convene at the UN headquarters in New York next week for a vote on whether to remove Khan from office. Last month, the executive committee of the court’s governing body suspended Khan after concluding he committed serious misconduct regarding the allegations involving Sarah, referring the matter to the 125 member states. Lawyers for Khan have argued that the disciplinary process is "procedurally unfair" and politically motivated, insisting that the full evidential picture differs from public accounts.
Khan was elected in 2021 to a nine-year term leading the prosecution division. His representatives have previously suggested that Sarah’s allegations might be part of a plot to discredit him following his 2024 move to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then-defense minister. However, internal documents indicate that the disciplinary process found no evidence to support claims that Sarah was "being used by third parties, including intelligence agencies." Sarah, who remains an ICC employee, stated, "My complaint was because of what happened to me, not for any other reason."
Female lawyer tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about alleged ‘escalation of attempts’ as second woman also speaks out
One of Khan’s lawyers, Sareta Ashraph, said the allegations of both women were not new and Khan continues to deny the claims “in their entirety”. Speaking to Amanpour, she said: “The complete evidential picture paints a far different picture than there’s been presented here today.”
