The International Criminal Court has dismissed chief prosecutor Karim Khan following a vote by member states in New York.
Diplomatic sources confirmed the 56-year-old was ousted on Friday at the United Nations headquarters over sexual misconduct allegations.
The high-stakes decision strips the veteran British lawyer of his mantle after months of intense political and legal turbulence.
The dramatic fall concludes a high-profile career marked by fierce international friction and historic, deeply controversial arrest warrants.
Khan rose to global prominence in May 2024 by aggressively pursuing war crimes warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
That bold legal maneuver triggered fierce backlash from Washington, thrusting the independent court into a volatile diplomatic storm.
Khan previously drew global headlines by securing an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for actions in Ukraine.
His career unraveled after a young female lawyer in his office accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct in late 2024.
An internal inquiry by the court’s governing body ultimately uncovered evidence of an illicit relationship, sealing his professional fate.
Khan vigorously denied the allegations, suggesting the misconduct claims were orchestrated as a political pressure campaign by Israel.
United Nations investigators ultimately refuted those claims, clearing the path for European nations to back his sudden removal.
The court now begins the delicate process of electing a new public prosecutor to steady its fractured global standing.
