By Stephanie van den Berg
THE HAGUE, July 24 (Reuters) - International Criminal Court member states are set to vote on Friday on whether to dismiss the court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan for alleged sexual misconduct.
Khan, 56, denies any wrongdoing and his lawyers have called the decision by the court's governing body that led to Friday's vote unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.
The vote comes amid renewed U.S. criticism of the war crimes court which Washington sees as a threat
to its sovereignty.
If ICC member states dismiss Khan, it will be seen by his supporters as the result of political pressure after the prosecutor sought arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza. Israel denies war crimes, is not a member of the court and has dismissed the warrants as bogus.
Even if Khan survives the vote, his position would be weakened and it would give critics of the court — established in 2002 by the international community to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity — another stick to beat it with.
RUBIO DECRIES 'LUNATICS' AT THE COURT
During a visit to the Philippines on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "lunatics and crazies involved in the ICC" and there was no way any U.S. political or military officials would ever go on trial at the court, reiterating previous criticism.
The U.S., which is also not a member, has already imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, citing the ICC's arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and a past probe into U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Officials from the court's governing body have said Khan should be dismissed because he committed serious misconduct by having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior staff member, according to documents seen by Reuters.
For Khan to be fired, an absolute majority of at least 63 of the court's 125 member states will have to agree in the secret ballot to be held at a meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York. The vote is due around 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) and the result is expected to be announced at 5:30 p.m. (2130 GMT).
France said on Thursday it would vote in favour of the removal of Khan, who has been suspended since June, after being on voluntary leave since May 2025 while awaiting the outcome of the internal investigation.
The Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, has also said it would support his dismissal.
ELECTION PROCESS BEGINS IF KHAN REMOVED
Khan's accuser, a junior ICC staffer, spoke publicly for the first time last week in an interview with CNN in which she repeated her allegations that the prosecutor had a non-consensual sexual relationship with her.
Lawyers for Khan told Reuters he denied "any sexual relationship of any kind" with the staff member.
If Khan is fired, that would immediately trigger the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.
Any active ICC warrants will remain in place even if Khan is dismissed because only ICC judges have the authority to withdraw warrants.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Alison Williams)
