The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has temporarily stepped aside until a sexual misconduct probe against him is concluded.
Karim Khan will take leave until the end of the external investigation, which began late last year, and his deputy prosecutors will run the office in his absence, the ICC said in a statement.
Previous media reports cited a document outlining accusations against Mr Khan, understood to include unwanted sexual touching and “abuse”.
Mr Khan has denied the allegations, which were reported to the court’s governing body in October. His lawyers said he had no intention of stepping down.
Several organisations and ICC staff members had previously called for Mr Khan to step down during the investigation.
It is unknown when the external investigation – led by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services – will come to an end.
An anonymous source told Reuters news agency that Mr Khan spoke to UN investigators last week for a final interview as part of the process.
Reuters reported that it had seen a letter Mr Khan sent to his staff confirming his temporary leave, and in which the prosecutor said his position had been kept under constant review.
“My decision is driven by deep and unwavering commitment to the credibility of our Office and the Court, and to safeguard the integrity of the process and fairness to all involved,” he reportedly said in the letter.
In a written statement, Mr Khan’s lawyers rejected all allegations of wrongdoing, saying he had taken leave because media attention on the matter affected his ability to properly focus on his job.
They added: “Our client remains the prosecutor, has not stepped down and has no intention of doing.”
Shortly after the allegations came to light last year, Mr Khan asked the ICC’s watchdog, the Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM), to conduct an internal investigation into the claims.
The court’s governing body later decided to pursue it externally to “ensure a fully independent, impartial and fair process,” its president said.
The investigation comes during intense scrutiny of the ICC and Mr Khan after his request for arrest warrants linked to the Israel-Hamas war – including for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Israel is not an ICC member and its government, along with Netanyahu, strongly rejected the accusations.
In February this year, US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officials while Netanyahu visited Washington DC.
The ICC said the US sanctions have put the court itself at risk and called on its member states and global civil society to “stand united for justice and fundamental human rights”.
