Findings from an AP investigation into misconduct allegations against the prosecutor who prosecuted Netanyahu

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – At the same time, this year he demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be charged with war crimes, and the head of the International Criminal Court faced accusations that for over a year he tried to force a female adviser to have sexual intercourse.

Karim Khan categorically denied the accusations, and court officials suggested they may have been made as part of a smear campaign by Israeli intelligence.

The Associated Press gathered details of the accusation in documents released to The Associated Press independent court supervisory body and interviews with eight ICC officials and people close to the woman.

Here are some of the key findings from the study AP investigation.

Among the allegations presented to the AP is that Khan spotted a woman working in another ICC department and transferred her to his office, which came with a raise. Their time together allegedly extended after a private dinner in London, during which Khan took a woman’s hand and complained about his marriage. She became present on official trips and meetings with dignitaries.

The documents show that during one such trip, Khan allegedly asked the woman to rest with him on a hotel bed and then “sexually touched her.” He later came to her room at 3 a.m. and knocked on the door for 10 minutes.

Other allegedly illegal behavior cited in the documents included closing her office door and putting his hand in her pocket. He also persuaded her several times to go on holiday together.

Khan, 54, said in a statement that there was “no truth to the suggestions of misconduct” and that in his 30 years of scandal-free work, he had always sided with victims of sexual harassment and abuse.

Khan added that he would be willing to cooperate with any investigation if asked, saying it was critical that the allegations “are thoroughly heard, investigated and given due process.”

Two co-workers in whom the woman confided ICC headquarters in The Hague in early May, he reported the alleged misconduct to the court’s independent watchdog, which says it interviewed the woman and ended its investigation five days later when she chose not to file a formal complaint. Khan himself was never questioned.

But the case may not be over.

Although the woman, who still works at the court, declined to comment to the AP, people close to her say her initial reluctance was based on a lack of trust in the internal watchdog, and she asked the member-state body that oversees the ICC to launch an external probe. An ICC official with knowledge of the matter who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity confirmed that the request was still under review.

Paivi Kaukoranta, a Finnish diplomat currently serving as president of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which the Court oversees, made no comment when asked whether he had opened a new investigation.

However, she left the door open for future actions.

In statementasked people to respect the integrity and confidentiality of the process, “including any further possible steps, if necessary.”

Within a few days of the case being dismissed, the court’s work continued. Khan on May 20 demanded arrest warrants for Netanyahuhis defense minister and three Hamas leaders on war crimes charges. A three-judge panel is now considering the request.

US President Joe Biden’s administration said it was blindsided by the move, and Israel’s allies in Congress also picked up on the potential scandal.

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

“I urge you to immediately stop any attempt to obstruct, intimidate or unduly influence officials of this court,” Khan said.

Israel has been waging an influence campaign against the Court since the ICC recognized Palestine as a member, and in 2015 opened a preliminary investigation into what the court described as “the situation in the State of Palestine.”

London newspaper The Guardian and several Israeli news outlets reported this summer that Israeli intelligence agencies have been allegedly addressed to senior ICC staffincluding placing Khan’s predecessor under surveillance and showing up at her home with envelopes filled with cash to discredit her.

Netanyahu himself, in the days leading up to Khan’s announcement of the war crimes charges, called on the world’s democracies ” use all the resources available to them ” to prevent the court from what he called “an outrage of historic proportions.”

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred AP’s inquiries on the matter to the Prime Minister’s Office, which did not respond. The U.S. State Department declined to discuss the issue, but said in a statement that it “takes all allegations of sexual harassment seriously and we expect the court to do the same.”