Pan-African group petitions ICC to halt probe into Karim Khan
The Pan-African Business Forum (PABF) has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to suspend its ongoing investigation into Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan KC, warning that the process risks damaging the court’s credibility and fairness.
In a petition delivered in The Hague to Ambassador Päivi Kaukoranta, President of the ICC Assembly of States Parties, Ladislas Prosper Agbesi, PABF Chairman said the organisation had “profound concerns” about the impartiality of the inquiry.
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Khan, who became ICC prosecutor in 2021, has been on leave since late last year following sexual misconduct allegations. His deputies are currently leading the Office of the Prosecutor while the external investigation continues.
The forum alleged that the process lacks transparency, citing whistle-blower claims that members of the ICC Bureau — which oversees parts of the court’s administration — may have been compromised. It accused a Ugandan diplomat of “intense lobbying for succession,” including inappropriate contact with the complainant at the centre of the allegations.
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According to PABF, recordings in its possession suggest the diplomat had already taken a stance against Khan before the inquiry began. “These developments risk undermining not only the integrity of the Court but also wider confidence in multilateral institutions at a time of global instability,” the group said.
PABF called for the suspension of the investigation to allow independent verification of its claims. It demanded that the inquiry determine whether the complainants or any individuals linked to the case had direct or indirect contact with ICC Bureau members, and whether the Court’s leadership had been influenced by lobbying.
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The petition also flagged issues of “improper disclosure, disparaging commentary, sanctions and intimidation,” which it said required urgent attention.
While reaffirming its support for the ICC’s mission, the PABF warned that the Court’s credibility “is now under strain” and urged decisive steps to “restore confidence and safeguard the Court’s integrity.”
