Revealed: Qatar-linked intelligence operation targeted ICC prosecutor’s alleged victim | International criminal court

The woman, who claimed that she was sexually abused by the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, was targeted by private intelligence firms within the scope of a secret operation said to be carried out on behalf of Qatar.

The Guardian can reveal details of the intrusive operation that seized sensitive information about women working at the ICC and their family members.

One of the firms sought her passport details and other sensitive information, including information about her child, according to leaked files seen by the Guardian and people familiar with the operation.

The intelligence firms’ main aim was to find evidence that could be used to undermine his credibility and his allegations of misconduct against ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.

Khan, a prominent British lawyer, has denied the harassment allegations, and people close to him have suggested the allegations are part of an Israeli-backed smear campaign in response to his decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024.

The private intelligence operation was led by Highgate, a secretive company based in London’s Mayfair district. It describes itself as a “strategic consulting firm” that advises senior executives and political leaders on managing “high-risk issues”.

Working with at least one other company, Highgate tried to connect the woman to Israel. But documents seen by the Guardian show there is no such evidence.

People familiar with the activities of private intelligence firms said the operation was commissioned by a senior diplomatic unit within the state of Qatar.

Khan’s alleged victim told the Guardian he was horrified by the “disturbing” operation. “The idea that private intelligence companies were instructed to target me is as incomprehensible as it is heartbreaking.”

In a statement to the Guardian, Highgate confirmed it was working on an ICC-related operation but said it was “not acting against any individual”. He denied that the project was paid for or commissioned by the “government of Qatar”.

Details of the apparent involvement of a Qatari unit in a spying operation that appears to have targeted other ICC officials are the latest development in the prosecutor-related saga that has plunged the court into an unprecedented crisis.

Khan’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for crimes allegedly committed in Gaza made him and the court a target for the United States and Israel.

Allegations of abuse further complicated his tenure as prosecutor. He stood aside pending a UN investigation into his conduct.

The Guardian has seen no evidence of Khan’s personal involvement in the operation. But people familiar with the operation said Highgate met with Khan’s representatives and questions were raised about the purpose of the meeting.

year of turmoil

Khan’s tenure as ICC prosecutor was thrown into turmoil late last year when allegations of mistreatment by court staff were made public. The woman, a lawyer in her 30s, worked directly for him.

His allegations include allegations of coercive sexual behavior and abuse of power. The alleged sexual abuse is said to have occurred in hotel rooms, Khan’s office at the ICC and at his home during business trips.

A UN observer is investigating his claims. In August, the Guardian reported that a second woman had come to the inquiry with allegations that Khan had mistreated her while she worked for him as an unpaid intern earlier in his career.

Khan’s lawyers have repeatedly said he “categorically denies” mistreating anyone and claimed the prosecutor was “the subject of an orchestrated campaign” to discredit him.

While the Guardian understands that pro-Israel actors made attempts to leak information about the ICC staff complaint, it found no evidence to suggest the women made the allegations as part of a plot against the prosecutor.

The special intelligence operation targeting the woman at the center of the UN investigation is said to have begun earlier this year when Highgate was recruited by the Qataris.

According to evidence reviewed by the Guardian, a small group of Highgate employees were informed that the project’s ultimate customer was the Qatari unit. Funding was assessed as extremely sensitive. Managers involved in the project made a point of referring to their customers as “client country” or “Q country”.

A document seen by the Guardian suggests that at one stage of the operation, Highgate sought information that would link the alleged victim and his family members to Israel or intelligence agencies.

Highgate engaged specialist firm Elicius Intelligence to help collect information about the woman, her child, husband and parents. Highgate also asked the company to investigate other ICC officials involved in the court’s response to the allegations.

The documents show Elicius prepared various reports for Highgate containing “sensitive” information about their private lives, past relationships and finances. At one point, Highgate requested that the woman’s young child’s birth certificate be obtained, according to the files.

Highgate also obtained the woman’s passport information and asked for detailed information about her flights in recent years. The reports include passwords the woman used for online accounts, including a private email address, that appear to have come from hacked data found on the dark web.

In its statement, Highgate claimed that the woman’s claim that she was seeking information about her child was “incorrect” and that descriptions of other types of information obtained by private firms were inaccurate.

“Highgate led an independent assessment of potential covert or improper activities aimed at undermining the credibility, independence or effectiveness of the ICC,” the statement said. “The investigation evaluated several incidents involving multiple individuals over an extended period of time.”

Highgate did not refuse to meet with Khan’s representatives and said the information was “private, commercially sensitive and confidential”.

In a statement to the Guardian, Khan’s lawyers did not dispute that such a meeting took place.

But they said their representatives “had no knowledge, let alone involvement, in the alleged activities” of private intelligence firms. Khan’s lawyers added that he was not given any “information” about the organisation’s activities.

Elicius Intelligence declined to comment. The Qatari government did not initially respond to a request for comment.

After the publication of this article, Qatar international office issued a statement It did not directly respond to the allegations but rejected the ICC’s “unsubstantiated allegations regarding a case involving the prosecutor.”

It was stated that fake information and disinformation were distributed by unspecified “bad actors”.

Khan’s alleged victim, who has been waiting for almost a year for the UN investigation to conclude and finds himself in the middle of a major geopolitical crisis at the ICC, expressed his disappointment with the situation.

“Where will this end and how much will be allowed? If this is what international justice looks like, this is not the system I have devoted my life to serving.”

He added: “I have always done my job quietly and out of sight. I came to serve, not to be seen.”

Additional reporting by Robert Flummerfelt