ICC Deputy Prosecutor Says Staff Banks Feeling Sanctions as Investigations Continue

The International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor said some staff have run into banking difficulties after US sanctions were announced on 9 October, even though the measures do not take effect until six months after that date. Nazhat Shameem Khan, who is co-running the prosecutor's office pending the appointment of a new chief prosecutor, said banks are "over-complying" to limit risk while the scope of the sanctions remains unclear. "These are sanctions imposed on the institutions and, in principle, our individual members should not be impacted directly," Khan said. "But again, what I am hearing from members of our staff is that some of them are experiencing difficulties in banking."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures on 9 October, calling the ICC a "rogue court" and saying, "Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC." He provided a six-month period "to negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns." Khan said the court has not altered its operations. "All the investigations across all situations continue. We haven't made any decision based on the sanctions to reduce our capability or reduce our output," she said.

The court is moving its software from Microsoft to European alternatives and negotiating with service providers on banking and health insurance arrangements. Khan said she could not predict the full impact of the sanctions once they take effect. She was among 13 ICC staff first targeted by the United States in February 2025. "Life without a credit card is inconvenient. It's amazing how many things now we cannot do around the world, particularly in relation to travel, without a credit card," she said.

Khan said the Gaza war investigation and other situations have moved forward since warrants were issued in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Galant. No further Gaza charges have been announced since late 2024. She attributed that to a court ruling earlier this year requiring that charges and warrant applications stay secret until judges permit disclosure. "Even if we reach a stage of the investigations where it might be imminent, we may not discuss it publicly," she said. "And so while there might be an appearance that nothing is happening, I can assure you that there's significant progress in that particular situation as well as others."

Formal investigations began in late November 2024 into allegations of sexual harassment against former chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who denied the charges and was removed in July this month after a vote by member states. Rubio claimed this month that "globalist 'experts' an ocean away" wanted the ICC to prosecute US citizens. Khan said it was unclear what he meant, adding, "we certainly haven't brought any Americans before the court." This month the court's pretrial chamber unsealed four arrest warrants against Taliban members on charges of gender persecution.

The ICC registrar is negotiating with the European Union over blocking the sanctions or protecting the court in other ways. On Thursday, the European Parliament awarded its Sakharov prize for freedom of thought to the court and its officials. Khan called the backing "a very important message that the staff at the court need to hear." The six-month period announced by Rubio on 9 October runs until 9 April 2027.

image_prompt":