Miliband urged to order probe into International Criminal Court prosecutor ousted for sex pest claims
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband last night faced calls to order an investigation into the disgraced British chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
Karim Khan was removed from his high-profile post at the ICC this weekend amid sexual harassment allegations.
It comes almost two years after The Mail on Sunday exclusively revealed that Khan, 56, had been accused of abusing a female colleague.
The complaint was made shortly before Khan demanded the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza.
It was later revealed that a lawyer in his 30s who worked with Khan had alleged that Khan kissed, groped and had sex with her without her consent over a period of 11 months.
The woman, who agreed to be identified as Sarah, spoke publicly for the first time about her allegations earlier this month.
In an interview with CNN, she claimed that Khan once came to her hotel room during an official visit to Colombia and, while pretending to be asleep, “started putting his hand under my tights, caressing me, sticking his tongue in my ear.”
Khan, a father of two who grew up in Yorkshire, has repeatedly denied all the allegations.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband last night faced calls for an investigation into the disgraced British chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan (pictured).
The woman, who agreed to be identified as Sarah, spoke publicly about her allegations for the first time earlier this month.
But in a secret ballot at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday night, 82 of the court’s 125 member states voted to remove him. The Foreign Office last night refused to say whether Britain had voted against him.
A friend of Sarah’s said last night: ‘I don’t think it’s fully understood yet. The last two years have taken a huge toll on Sarah and her family. ‘I spoke to a close relative today and Sarah still hasn’t slept since the day before the verdict.’
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel described Sarah’s statement as ‘regrettable’ and called on the Government to launch its own investigation.
He told the MoS: ‘The ICC has been weakened by the appalling behavior of its chief prosecutor, but the new Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary are silent.
‘Sexual misconduct is very serious, but we have ministers who are more interested in posting ridiculous social media content than in the serious business of governing.
‘Ed Miliband must launch an urgent investigation into these allegations and the abuse of power within the ICC and other international bodies.’
Last year, a second woman came forward and accused Khan of sexual harassment.
The woman, who goes by the pseudonym Patricia, also spoke to CNN and explained that while she was an intern in 2009, she was required to work at his home.
She claimed that ‘every time I was there, he was constantly attacking me, groping me, grabbing me, kissing my face, touching my hair, trying to get me into intimate activity with him.’
Tayab Ali, the head of Khan’s legal team, said in a statement that “not a single finding of misconduct” was found against him in the investigation conducted by the United Nations Office of Oversight Services.
He added that Mr Khan ‘will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms’.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are grateful to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office for completing its investigation and respect its findings.
‘The UK expects the highest standards of behavior from leaders of international organizations and we have a zero-tolerance approach to, and inaction against, any form of sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment.’
