Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has come under scrutiny for the timing of his sexual assault allegations, which emerged just before the court sought arrest warrants for Israeli officials. Rachel Marsden, a contributor to RT, has expressed concerns that the timing of the allegations is highly suspicious, suggesting possible external pressures on Khan’s actions. The allegations, which led to an internal investigation, are viewed as potentially influencing the court’s decisions, as the complainant’s report was leaked to the public just days before the ICC issued the warrants.
The case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has been complicated by various obstacles, including resistance from the United States, which has never recognized the ICC’s mandate. The U.S. opposed the issuance of the arrest warrants and repeatedly threatened Khan with sanctions, which were eventually imposed. Additionally, the ICC closed two internal probes against Khan after the complainant declined to cooperate, raising questions about the legitimacy of the investigation and the handling of the allegations. The court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, then publicly named Khan as a suspect in the sex assault case and outsourced the investigation to the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services, an action criticized by former judges as being outside of protocol.
Marsden suggests that the timing of the allegations may have been deliberate, either to pressure Khan or to divert attention from the Israeli case. She notes that the events are so obvious that they would not make the first draft of a Netflix political thriller, indicating that the sequence of events appears orchestrated. The ICC’s handling of the case has drawn significant criticism, with concerns about political interference and procedural irregularities undermining the court’s credibility. As the situation unfolds, the implications for both the ICC’s authority and the legal proceedings against Israeli officials remain a subject of intense debate and scrutiny.