CPI prosecutor investigating alleged crimes in Venezuela faces complaint for sexual misconduct

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan, who is investigating alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela and filed charges for alleged war crimes against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is accused of having tried, for more than a year , coercing an assistant to maintain a sexual relationship.

The woman also alleges that Khan groped her against her will, a version that the prosecutor rejects. “There is no truth to the suggestions of misconduct,” he said.

Khan investigates, among others, cases of murders, torture, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, persecution and excessive use of force in the context of anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela since April 2017.

According to the government of Nicolás Maduro, these are acts that “have never occurred.”

Although the ICC watchdog could not determine the existence of irregularities, in a report it urged Khan to reduce his contact with the woman to protect the rights of all those involved and safeguard the integrity of the institution.

Judicial officials pointed out that they could be part of a campaign to discredit the Israeli intelligence services.

It is not the first scandal in which Khan has been involved, in September of this year the newspaper The Washington Post revealed that Venkateswari Alagendraa lawyer at the firm hired by the Venezuelan government for her defense, is the sister of the ICC prosecutor’s wife.

Two co-workers whom the woman confided in at the ICC headquarters in The Hague reported the alleged misconduct in early May to the court’s independent watchdog, which said it interviewed the woman and closed its investigation five days later. when she chose not to file a formal complaint.

Khan was never questioned, but the case may not be over.

Although the woman refused to make statements to The Associated Presspeople close to her claim that her initial reluctance was due to distrust in the entity’s control body and has asked the entity that supervises the ICC, made up of member states, to launch an internal investigation.

An ICC official with knowledge of the matter, who spoke to the AP On condition of anonymity, he confirmed that his request was still being studied.

These efforts were applauded by people close to the woman, who continues to work at the Court.

“It wasn’t a one-off approach or an arm around the shoulder that could be misinterpreted,” he told AP one of those people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the woman’s identity. “This was a repeated pattern of behavior that took place over a long period.”

Days after the case was filed, the ICC’s work continued normally. On May 20, Khan requested arrest warrants against Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes. A three-judge panel is studying the petition.

The United States government was surprised by the request and its president, Joe Biden, described the accusation as “scandalous” for implying an equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

In announcing the charges, Khan suggested that outside forces were waging a campaign to derail his investigation.

“I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence officials of this court must cease immediately,” the prosecutor said, adding that he will not hesitate to use his authority to investigate anyone suspected of obstruction of the court. justice.

A growing list of enemies

Under Khan’s leadership, the ICC has become more assertive in combating crimes against humanity, war crimes and related atrocities. Along the way, the list of enemies has been growing.

Last September, following the opening of an investigation into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the ICC suffered a debilitating cyberattack that prevented staff from working for weeks. He also hired an intern who was later criminally accused in the United States of being a Russian spy.

Israel has also been waging its own influence campaign since the ICC recognized Palestine as a member and in 2015 opened a preliminary investigation into what the court called “the situation in the State of Palestine.”

The London newspaper The Guardian and several Israeli media outlets reported this summer that over the past decade Israel’s intelligence agencies have allegedly gone after high-ranking ICC officials, including placing Khan’s predecessor under surveillance and appearing at her house with envelopes full of cash in order to discredit her.

Netanyahu himself, in the days before Khan’s announcement of war crimes charges, called on the world’s democracies “to use all means at their disposal” to block the ICC in the face of what he called an “outrage of historic proportions.” ”.

[Con información de AP]

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