The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has temporarily suspended until a sexual misconduct investigation was conducted on him.

Karim Khan will take leave until the end of an external investigation that began in the second half of last year, with his deputy prosecutor operating the position in his absence, the International Criminal Court said in a statement.

Previous media reports cite a document outlining the allegations against Mr. Khan, which is known to include unnecessary sexual contact and “abuse.”

Mr Khan denied the allegations, which were reported to the governing body of the court in October. His lawyer said he had no intention of resigning.

Some organizations and ICC staff had previously asked Mr Khan to resign during the investigation.

This is unknown when the external investigation led by the United Nations Office for Domestic Oversight Services will end.

An anonymous source told Reuters that Mr Khan had a last interview with UN investigators last week as part of the process.

Reuters reported that Mr Khan sent to his staff to confirm his temporary leave request, and prosecutors said his position had been under scrutiny.

“My decision is driven by a profound and unwavering commitment to the credibility of our office and courts and protects the integrity of the process and fairness to all participants,” he reportedly said in the letter.

Khan's lawyers rejected all allegations of wrongdoing in a written statement, saying he had been on leave because the media attention to the matter affected his ability to focus correctly on his work.

They added: "Our client is still prosecutors, no resignation, no intention to do it."

Shortly after the allegations were revealed last year, Mr Khan asked the International Criminal Court’s regulator, an independent oversight mechanism (IOM), to conduct an internal investigation into the claims.

The court's president said the court's governing bodies later decided to pursue it outside to "ensure a process of complete independence, impartiality and impartiality."

The investigation was rigorously reviewed after the warrants were requested in the Israel-Hamas war, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which included alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Israel, not a member of the ICC and its government, and Netanyahu, strongly rejected the allegations.

In February, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officials, while Netanyahu visited Washington, D.C.

The International Criminal Court said the U.S. sanctions put the court itself at risk and called on its member states and civil society around the world to “represent the judicial and fundamental human rights.”