The International Criminal Court has not, as was previously reported, cleared Karim Khan, its chief prosecutor, of sexual misconduct, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the news agency reported on Sunday.
Although the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services submitted its confidential fact-finding report in December to the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties, which is the ICC’s executive branch, a final decision has not been reached, according to the memo.
“The disciplinary process before the Bureau is ongoing and remains confidential. No decisions have been taken, and no weight should be given to recent media speculation,” the Assembly of States Parties’ President Paivi Kaukoranta said in a memo to court staff.
Reuters looked into the matter after news site Middle East Eye claimed on Saturday that Khan “has been cleared of all wrongdoing by a panel of judges appointed to review the findings of a United Nations investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him.”
Khan’s lawyers told Reuters that the ICC’s governing body planned to meet on Monday to review the advice and conclusions of an outside panel of judges.
“The judges produced a lengthy, reasoned analysis, unanimously concluding that the factual findings do not establish misconduct or breach of duty,” Khan’s lawyers claimed to Reuters in an email. “What remains is for the politicians in the Bureau to confirm the assessment of the panel.”
In May 2025, Khan took a leave of absence pending the outcome of an investigation from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services over allegations that he repeatedly assaulted a Malaysian colleague.
A second woman came forward in August, telling British newspaper The Guardian that Khan abused his power as a top ICC lawyer and subjected her to a “constant onslaught” of unwanted advances while she worked on an internship for him in 2009.
Khan became infamous in Israel when in November 2024 he issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged Gaza “war crimes.”
The sexual misconduct allegations claim that Khan asked the first woman, the Malaysian colleague, not to accuse him of sexual assault so he could issue the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
The complainant, a lawyer with whom Khan had traveled and worked closely for years, alleged that Khan sexually assaulted her several times in several countries, and that he’d warned her that pursuing charges against him would damage “the justice of the victims,” according to testimony reviewed by The Wall Street Journal in May 2025.
“Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants,” he was quoted as saying.
The timing of the arrest warrants against Israel’s leadership raised suspicions that Khan’s decision to issue them was calculated to deflect attention from the sex scandal, which came to light internally a few weeks earlier, the Journal reported.
The woman involved initially chose not to assist investigators, telling colleagues she did not want to derail the Palestinian case by lodging a complaint against Khan, according to the Journal.
“He always holds on to me and leads me to the bed,” she said in testimony reviewed by Journal. “It’s the feeling of being trapped.”
According to the paper, the woman stayed in her role because of her commitment to human rights work, financial responsibilities tied to her terminally ill mother, and a growing fear of retaliation from Khan.
This account was supported by current and former ICC officials, the newspaper said.
