Karim Khan KC allegedly informed the complainant that continuing with the case would harm Palestinians
The British prosecutor seeking the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu tried to silence a woman accusing him of sexual assault by citing the plight of the Palestinians, it has been claimed.
Karim Khan KC, who as the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is leading the war crimes case against Israel, allegedly told the complainant that a scandal would harm the success of the prosecutions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a record of a telephone call, which forms part of a United Nations investigation into the claims, shows that Mr Khan told the woman: “The casualties [of her allegations] will unfortunately be three: You and your family, me and my family and the justice of the victims.”
On another occasion, he reportedly said: “Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants,” according to other testimony made to the UN.
Mr Khan announced his decision to seek arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, then his defence minister, in May last year on charges of crimes against humanity, principally relating to the issue of aid into Gaza.
The application for an arrest warrant came two and a half weeks after Mr Khan learnt of the allegations against him, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to ICC officials, he did so publicly against the advice of senior prosecutors, putting added pressure on the judges whose task it was to decide whether to approve the warrants, which they ultimately did in November 2024.
‘Feeling of being trapped’
New details allege that Mr Khan pressured the alleged victim, a Malaysian woman in her 30s, into what the Wall Street Journal described as “non-consensual sexual intercourse” on several occasions.
Testimony given to the UN in December 2023 claims the woman was called to Mr Khan’s suite at the Millennium Hotel in New York.
She reportedly said Mr Khan began to touch her sexually, which he had done before, but despite her trying to leave the room several times he pulled her to the bed, removed her underwear and forced her to have sexual intercourse.
“He always holds on to me and leads me to the bed,” the woman, who is married with a child, reportedly told UN investigators. “It’s the feeling of being trapped.”
Mr Khan also performed non-consensual sex acts with her on work trips to Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris, as well as a residence owned by his wife in The Hague, where the ICC has its headquarters.
Initially reluctant to complain
The alleged victim, who is also a lawyer, reportedly said she was initially reluctant to complain because she did not want to give up her job in one of the most important human rights law offices in the world. She was also afraid of not being able to pay the medical bills for her mother, who was dying of cancer.
A Muslim who strongly supported the investigation into Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gollant and Hamas, she later reportedly told colleagues that she did not want to disrupt the arrest warrants by bringing a complaint against Khan.
On May 3, Mr Khan’s office put out a statement warning of “attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence its officials”.
The Wall Street Journal reported that this was released a day after colleagues confronted Mr Khan at his home about his alleged behaviour, telling him they would report him to ICC’s human resources office.
‘Categorically untrue’
Mr Khan, through his lawyers, told the newspaper that it was “categorically untrue that he has engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind”.
The UN is said to be investigating whether Mr Khan attempted to intimidate or retaliate against the woman and other officials who reported his alleged misconduct, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing ICC officials.
Mr Khan’s lawyers reportedly said he had informed the US State Department of his intention to seek an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu before the sexual abuse allegations had been made against him.
They also said that he had requested the external investigation into the allegations.
On top of the arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gollant, three were issued against senior Hamas members, all of whom are now believed to be dead. The warrants remain in force, the ICC’s pre-trial chamber having rejected a challenge to the court’s jurisdiction.
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