The prosecutor accused of sexual misconduct takes leave of the ICC

Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who obtained arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir V. Putin, is temporarily pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against him, confirmed the court.

Mr. Khan, who has always denied the accusations that he had sexually harassed a colleague, reported his decision in court on Friday, said his press office.

He made the headlines and stimulated geopolitical reactions last year when he asked for arrest warrants against Mr. Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister and other Israeli leaders and Hamas, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2021, he obtained a mandate for Mr. Putin, the Russian president, for offenses in the war in Ukraine.

The allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Khan, who is British, was revealed last year. A British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported in October that a colleague accused her of harassment. The Guardian later reported that Mr. Khan tried to suppress the accuser’s allegations.

Mr. Khan denied the allegations of harassment and concealment and said on social networks that he had asked and would cooperate “fully” with an investigation. In November, the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, announced that it had commanded an independent investigation into the accusations “to ensure a completely independent, impartial and fair process”.

But during last week, calls increased so that Mr. Khan retired while the investigation continues, thanks in part to an article in the Wall Street Journal on the survey. The article cited the testimony of UN officials, noting that the woman in question said that Mr. Khan had forced her to have sex. Mr. Khan, through his lawyers, again denied any fault.