The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has been ousted after a secret ballot during a meeting of States Parties to the Rome Statute at the United Nations (UN) in New York.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) News has learned that he was voted out by 82 of the 125 following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Karim Khan has been ousted as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court after a secret ballot by States Parties to the Rome Statute.
82 of the court’s 125 member states voted to remove after allegations of sexual misconduct, which Khan has denied.
Cases against Israel’s…
— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) July 24, 2026
Khan had already been suspended by the executive committee of the ICC’s governing body, which referred the final outcome to member states for a decision on whether to permanently remove him.
The Court’s Governing body has taken the unprecedented step of removing its chief prosecutor following a vote by ICC member states. The unprecedented move follows allegations of sexual misconduct, which Khan has repeatedly denied and says were handled through an unfair process.
Khan’s removal marks the first time an ICC prosecutor has been fired. It comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the court, which is pursuing high-profile investigations, including arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Those cases remain unaffected, with Khan’s deputies expected to oversee the prosecutor’s office while member states begin the process of selecting a permanent successor.
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