A woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by the British law chief bringing a war crimes case against Israel’s prime minister is to give her testimony to investigators this week, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sparked outrage last week when it issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant after a request by its controversial prosecutor, British human rights lawyer Karim Khan.
Mr Khan, 54, announced his case against Israel in May just two weeks after being told that a female colleague had made serious allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Six months later, the woman will finally be interviewed after the ICC agreed to an external investigation into her claims.
Sources have told the MoS that she will be questioned in the Netherlands, where the court is based, by investigators from the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), a UN watchdog.
It comes amid concern among ICC officials that the court has pressed ahead with the case against Israel while the inquiry into Mr Khan’s behaviour is still taking place.
‘I find it remarkable that they would issue these warrants with this still hanging over him,’ one source said. ‘It does make you think they are using this case [against Israel] for purposes other than what it should be used for.’
The ICC’s decision to issue the arrest warrants has caused an international backlash. Donald Trump is reportedly considering sanctions against Mr Khan. Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s UK ambassador, has accused the court of finding common ground with Hamas.
Britain has said it respects the court and Labour ministers have refused to say if Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he came here.
Karim Khan, 54, announced his case against Israel in May just two weeks after being told that a female colleague had made serious allegations of sexual misconduct against him
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sparked outrage last week when it issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant
Black smoke rises among the residential buildings following an Israeli airstrike on the Dahieh area in the south of Beirut, Lebanon on November 21
The MoS revealed last month that Mr Khan was accused of groping the woman, an ICC staff member in her 30s, in his office. He also allegedly got into her hotel bed during a work trip and began ‘sexually touching’ her.
According to a document seen by the MoS, the accusations include knocking on her hotel room door for ten minutes at 3am. Another newspaper reported an incident in which he is said to have ‘pressed his tongue’ into the woman’s ear.
Mr Khan, a father of two who grew up in Yorkshire, has said there is ‘no truth’ to the allegations. ‘I underline that I stand with any victim of sexual harassment and would encourage all survivors to come forward,’ he added.
Responding earlier this month to the announcement of an investigation, he said: ‘I welcome the opportunity to engage in this process.’
Sources say the woman has expressed concerns about the OIOS after it emerged that Mr Khan’s wife, Dato Shyamala Alagendra, worked as an investigator there from 2019 to 2020.
Ms Alagendra, another human rights lawyer, has been accused of contacting the woman soon after Mr Khan learned the allegations would be formally reported. She has also been accused of intimidating a whistleblower who passed on the woman’s claims. Ms Alagendra has denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, figures obtained by the MoS reveal the huge cost to UK taxpayers of the ICC. Last year, the UK’s contribution was nearly £12 million.
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