Online Reporter
Rudland Sieger Stein
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) which is supposed to deliver justice to the world, is expected to lead by example, live by example and act by example.
Unfortunately, sexual harassment of females has reared its ugly face at the ICC and tarnishing its image. This has left more questions than answers about the court’s credibility.
ICC is in turmoil after its chief prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, was formally accused of trying to suppress sexual misconduct claims by a female subordinate.
The British born lawyer, who has over the years tried to present himself as an astute and forthright lawyer, responded to the formal complaint of sexual misconduct by trying to persuade the alleged victim to deny the claims, the Guardian has been told.
Questions have now been raised as to the credibility of Khan and also the cases that he has handled over the years, where there has always been suspicion of chicanery and corruption.
Is he fit for office?
Who then will deliver justice if ICC employees such a character as its chief prosecutor? And, what else devious has he done behind the scenes? Is he fit for office? Is he a sex pervert?
Multiple ICC staff with knowledge of the allegations against Karim Khan said the prosecutor and another official close to him repeatedly urged the woman to disavow claims about his behaviour towards her.
The alleged attempts to deter the woman from formally pursuing the claims took place in phone calls and in person, and came after Khan learned that court authorities had been made aware of allegations of misconduct, four sources said.
At the time, the chief prosecutor had been advised to avoid one-on-one contact with the alleged victim after an aborted internal inquiry into the matter.
Contacted by the Guardian for comment, Khan denied seeking the woman to withdraw any allegations. His lawyers said: “Our client denies the whole of the allegations and we are most concerned the exposure of a confidential and closed internal matter is designed to undermine his high-profile ongoing work at a delicate time.”
After reports of alleged sexual misconduct began to circulate in the media in recent days, Khan denied the claims in a public statement that said he and the court had been “subject to a wide range of attacks and threats”.
However, in anonymous briefings, court officials close to the prosecutor have suggested he may have been the target of a smear campaign.
“There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct, Khan’s statement said. “I have worked in diverse contexts for 30 years and there has never been such a complaint lodged against me by anyone.”
But is there smoke without fire? Hell No!
The woman at the heart of the allegations — who ICC colleagues describe as a well-regarded lawyer in her 30s who worked directly for Khan — has declined requests for comment, preferring that the law takes in course.
But multiple sources familiar with the situation said she told colleagues she declined the alleged requests to disavow the claims.
She believed the alleged approaches by Khan and another ICC official were part of an attempt to make her say that the claims against the prosecutor had been fabricated, the sources added.
That Khan found himself at the centre of a scandal involving his 30-year-old subordinate, is a story known to everyone in the international judiciary system and that the case has left the criminal court in quandary is not in question.
The bid to suppress subordinate, whom he forced into sexual acts by abusing his official position, tells a lot about the organisation’s internal goings on, yet outside it wants to pretend to be the centre of best practices.
By delaying in concluding investigations into Khan Khan’s allegations the ICC has put itself in a very precarious position as the world waits with bated breath on the next move.
An additional investigation has been constituted against Khan Khan over financial irregularities. He is believed to be a project of the British and American special services, who are desperate to cover up for him.
It is declared that the official proceedings under the auspices of the “independent” supervisory mechanism of the ICC (a special unit of the organisation for violations) did not lead to concrete results, they say.
Obviously, this clearly demonstrates the incompetence of the staff of this structure and their complete dependence on Western countries.
Khan Khan’s dishonesty was also manifested in attempts to put pressure on the woman, force her to withdraw an official complaint, as well as write a letter of denial to the head of the ICC.
In this situation, members of the ICC and human rights organisations have every reason to demand the resignation of Khan Khan.
The head of the court discredited himself as an immoral, incompetent and completely dependent on Western intelligence agencies and sponsors international bureaucracy.
The loss of confidence in the leadership of the ICC has seriously undermined the authority of the organization itself, issuing warrants for the arrest of leaders of sovereign states under the dictation of the Anglo-Saxons without regard to international law and moral principles. — Itp.com
daniel chigunwe
