The Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced the formal start of the procedures to designate the person who will take over the Office of the Prosecutor of the court, after the dismissal in July of Karim Khan for a case of sexual misconduct. The British jurist has repeatedly denied the abuses attributed to him.
The president of the Assembly of States Parties, Paivi Kaukoranta, stressed that the objective of the procedure is to "attract the most qualified candidates" to head the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. In the same vein, she defended that "a transparent and structured selection process is essential in order to identify and choose the most highly qualified prosecutor who can fulfill the obligations of such an important office".
The schedule released by the Assembly establishes that the submission of candidacies will open on October 31 and conclude on January 31, 2027. Subsequently, the applicants will be subjected to the assessment of the Advisory Committee on the candidatures of judges. In addition, starting in February, a confidential channel will be enabled to receive complaints about alleged misconduct by any of the candidates.
As planned, the election of the new prosecutor, who will be the fourth person to hold this position in the international body, will take place in December 2027. However, the Assembly itself leaves the door open to introducing adjustments to the dates if circumstances so require.
This procedure is being launched after Khan's removal, agreed upon after the Assembly of States Parties, the governing body of the ICC, concluded that the prosecutor had committed "a serious misconduct" and "a serious breach of the obligations of the office". The British man's lawyer denounced that the process "lacks legal basis" and announced that he would appeal it.
The former prosecutor has at all times denied the accusations made by an ICC employee at the court's headquarters in The Hague, which prompted his decision to step away from the position temporarily in May 2025 while internal investigations were carried out.
Khan then argued that both he and the court itself were being subjected "to a wide range of attacks and threats" because of their judicial activity. Among his most controversial actions are the arrest warrants against the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his then Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, as well as against three leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
In this context, in February 2025, the authorities of the United States imposed sanctions against Khan in response to the actions directed against the Israeli officials. These measures included the blocking of his property and assets, in addition to the ban on entry into U.S. territory for senior officials and employees of the ICC, which was likewise extended to their immediate family members.