Qatar reportedly hired operatives to undermine woman accusing ICC prosecutor Khan of sexual misconduct

The Qatari government led a covert intelligence effort to discredit the woman who accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual misconduct, the Guardian news outlet reported on Thursday. A senior Qatari diplomatic unit reportedly hired the private intelligence company, Highgate, to find links between Israel and the woman who is an employee at the ICC; however, the company failed to find any connection.

Highgate, which is based in London, cooperated with the intelligence company, Elicius Intelligence, in its effort to collect sensitive information about the woman and her family in order to discredit the woman and undermine her testimony against Khan.

In May 2024, Khan made international headlines by seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged “war crimes” in Gaza. To project neutrality, he also requested warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh – all of whom have since been eliminated by Israel.

In October 2024, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Khan sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant to distract the public from his own sex scandals, which threatened his professional career. The unnamed woman has accused Khan of sexual harassment, including touching her without her consent.

“I absolutely can confirm there is no truth to suggestions of misconduct,” Khan stated at the time. He is currently on leave and continues to deny any wrongdoing.

In April, Reuters reported that the United Nations had launched an investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct involving Khan.

Khan’s lawyers denied the allegations, saying that their client “looks forward to cooperating fully and transparently with the external investigation.”

The United States and Israel have strongly condemned Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

In August, the families of three Israeli hostages – Avinatan Or, Eitan Mor and Omri Miran – opened a formal lawsuit against Khan, amounting to NIS 20 million ($5.9 million), accusing him of backing the Hamas “terror murderers.”

“The International Criminal Court has become a branch of Hamas,” stated Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder and president of Shurat-Hadin Israel Law Center, the NGO representing the families.

“Through its direct actions, it has given the terror murderers tremendous backing,” she argued. “Khan’s goal is to prevent Israel from achieving the war’s objectives – the destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages – by portraying it (Israel) as a criminal state," Darshan-Leitner added in her statement.

In February, the Trump administration announced it would impose sanctions against Khan over his arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the “baseless arrest warrants” against the leaders of Israel, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East.

“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC,” the executive order against ICC stated. “Neither country has ever recognized the ICC's jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.”