ICC prosecutor suspended by UK barristers’ watchdog amid sexual misconduct inquiry

Bar Standards Board bars Karim Khan from practising in England and Wales, following suspension by ICC

Karim Khan, the international criminal court prosecutor, has been suspended from practising as a barrister in England and Wales by the UK’s Bar Standards Board.

The move comes less than two weeks after Khan was suspended as ICC chief prosecutor as part of a disciplinary process triggered by sexual abuse allegations against him. Khan has repeatedly denied the claims.

The BSB imposed an interim suspension with immediate effect on Friday. Under its procedures, the decision must be reviewed by a panel within four weeks.

The suspension means Khan is no longer authorised to practise in the jurisdiction where he qualified as a lawyer and established his legal career, before moving into international criminal law.

The allegations against Khan emerged in 2024. They were made by a woman who worked for him at the court’s headquarters in The Hague.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the BSB’s decision to suspend Khan relates to her claims, which include allegations that he engaged in coercive and nonconsensual sexual behaviour over an extended period.

Earlier this month, an executive committee of the ICC’s governing body voted by qualified majority to determine that Khan had committed serious misconduct in connection to the allegations.

Adam Tudor, a partner at the leading London libel lawyers Carter-Ruck, said: “As he has consistently made clear, Mr Khan unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety. He maintains that he has acted at all times fully in accordance with his professional obligations.

Tudor said the interim action by the BSB was based on a decision by the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC. He said the bureau was a “political body” that has “purported to substitute its own assessment” of the allegations over an advisory panel of judges who concluded that a UN report into the claims “did not establish misconduct”.

“Mr Khan’s legal team is taking all necessary steps to challenge the decision of the Bureau, protect his rights, and ensure that due process is upheld,” he added.

Elected prosecutor in 2021, Khan has led some of the court’s most closely watched investigations. During his tenure the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president , Vladimir Putin, over the war in Ukraine. Khan also sought arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas figures in connection with the war in Gaza.

The allegations have hung over the court for more almost two years. Questions about how the complaint should be handled and whether Khan should remain in office while investigations continued have caused tensions among its member states.

Although the BSB’s decision is temporary pending review, it represents a significant development in the case. Khan built his reputation at the English bar before moving into international criminal law, first as a defence advocate and later as a prosecutor on the international stage.

The case has presented the ICC with a situation it has not faced before: since the court was established in 2002, its member states have never been asked to decide whether a sitting chief prosecutor should remain in office.

The issue has now been referred to the ICC’s 125 member states. Representatives are due to meet on 24 July to decide whether they accept the conclusions of the disciplinary process and what action, if any, should follow.

A vote could then follow to determine whether Khan should remain in post.

In the meantime, the prosecutor’s office continues to operate under Khan’s deputies, who are overseeing ongoing investigations and cases.

The Bar Standards Board’s interim suspension will also come before a panel within the next four weeks. Khan is expected to challenge his suspension through the barrister regulator’s processes.