The prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, has been removed from office after he was found to have committed serious misconduct in connection to allegations of sexual abuse.

The ICC’s member states voted on Friday to oust the British prosecutor in an unprecedented move that concludes a damaging episode for the court two years after the allegations were first raised.

According to sources familiar with the result, 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted in favour of removing Khan at a special meeting at the UN’s headquarters in New York.

The vote follows a drawn-out disciplinary process that examined the abuse allegations, which were made by a woman who worked for Khan at the ICC.

Khan has repeatedly denied the allegations, which include claims that he engaged in coercive and non-consensual sexual behaviour over an extended period. His lawyers have criticised the disciplinary process as procedurally unfair.

The prominent British barrister was elected in 2021 to serve a nine-year mandate running the court’s prosecution division, which is tasked with investigating and bringing to trial individuals accused of atrocities.

More details soon …