An internal memo shared with ICC staff on Sunday has effectively halted celebrations from the camp of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. While media reports from the Middle East Eye suggested Khan had been cleared of allegations involving a non-consensual sexual relationship, the Assembly of States Parties’ President, Päivi Kaukoranta, cautioned staff that the disciplinary process is “ongoing and remains confidential.”
The Conflict of Facts
The situation has devolved into a war of words between Khan’s legal team and the court’s governing body:
Khan’s lawyers claim an outside panel of judges has already produced a “lengthy, reasoned analysis” that found no established misconduct. They insist only a “political” confirmation from the Bureau is pending.
The official memo explicitly states that “no weight should be given to recent media speculation” and that no final decisions have been reached. A year-long probe by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services was submitted in December 2025, but its contents remain under lock and key.
A Court in Paralysis
The timing of the scandal couldn’t be worse for the ICC. Khan, who gained global prominence for issuing arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, has stepped aside just as the court faces unprecedented U.S. sanctions.
With the most high-profile prosecutor in the world currently sidelined, the court’s ability to investigate war crimes in Gaza and Ukraine has essentially ground to a halt. Critics argue that the investigation is being weaponized by the U.S. and Israel to delegitimize the warrants, while supporters of the accuser insist that the “world’s court of last resort” cannot have a prosecutor who is above the law itself.
A Political or Personal Execution?
This memo is a calculated move to prevent Khan from forcing his way back into office before the “politicians in the Bureau” are ready. If the outside panel truly found no misconduct, the delay in confirming that report suggests a deep-seated hesitation within the ICC’s 125 member countries to reinstate a figure who has become a lightning rod for Trump’s “Epic Fury” era of foreign policy.
The “Secret Memo” doesn’t just threaten Khan’s career, it threatens the legitimacy of every warrant he has signed. If he is removed, the legal standing of the cases against sitting world leaders could be tied up in appeals for a decade. The ICC isn’t just reviewing a prosecutor; they are deciding if the court itself can survive the person who made it relevant again.
