HAGUE – At the same time this year sought war crimes charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the International Criminal Court faces accusations that he tried to force a female aide into sexual intercourse for more than a year.

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

The Associated Press pieced together details of the accusations through documents shared with authorities. independent observer of the court and interviews with eight ICC officials and people close to the woman.

Here are some of the important findings of the research: AP investigation.

What are the allegations?

Among the allegations conveyed to the AP is that Khan noticed the woman working in another department of the ICC and carried her to his office; This transfer also included a salary increase. Allegedly, their time together increased after a private dinner in London, where Khan held the woman’s hand and complained about her marriage. He took part in official trips and meetings with dignitaries.

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

Other nonconsensual behavior noted in the documents included locking his office door and putting his hand in his pocket. He also allegedly asked to go on holiday together several times.

54-year-old Khan said in his statement that “the allegations of abuse have no truth” and that he has always stood by victims of sexual harassment and abuse in his 30-year scandal-free working life.

Khan said he would be ready to cooperate with any investigation if requested, and that the accusations should be “thoroughly heard, examined and subjected to an appropriate process.”

Where do the accusations stand?

Two colleagues the woman trusts ICC headquarters in The Hague reported the alleged misconduct to the court’s independent monitor in early May; That agency said it interviewed the woman and ended its investigation five days after she refused to file a formal complaint. Khan himself was never questioned.

But the matter may not be over.

While the woman, who still works at the court, declined to comment to the AP, people close to her say her initial reluctance stemmed from distrust of the internal watchdog and that she wanted member states to initiate a panel that oversees the ICC. external probe. An ICC official with knowledge of the matter, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, confirmed the request was still being considered.

Paivi Kaukoranta, a Finnish diplomat who currently serves as president of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which oversees the court, did not comment specifically when asked whether she would launch a new investigation.

But he left the door open for future actions.

One expressionHe asked people to respect the integrity and confidentiality of the process and “including possible other steps as necessary.”

What happened to the war crimes charges?

A few days after the case was shelved, the court’s work continued. Khan on May 20 Requested arrest warrant for NetanyahuThe defense minister and three Hamas leaders are on trial on war crimes charges. A three-judge panel is currently considering the request.

US President Joe Biden’s administration said it was caught off guard by this move, and Israel’s allies in Congress also weighed in on the possible scandal.

While announcing the accusations, Khan claimed that foreign forces were trying to derail the investigation.

“I insist that all attempts to obstruct, intimidate or improperly influence officials of this court must be stopped immediately,” Khan said.

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

London’s The Guardian newspaper and various Israeli news sources reported this summer that Israeli intelligence agencies had been making claims about this over the past decade. targeted senior ICC staffThese included surveilling Khan’s predecessor and going to his home with envelopes full of cash to discredit him.

Netanyahu called on the world’s democracies in the days before Khan announced war crimes accusations: “ use all the resources at their disposal to prevent the court from what he called “a disgrace of historic proportions.”

The Israeli foreign ministry forwarded AP’s questions about the case to the Prime Ministry, but did not respond. The US State Department declined to discuss the matter but said in a statement that it “takes any allegation of sexual harassment seriously and we expect the court to do the same.”