The court announced Friday.

A senior official who knew about the matter, spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, also confirmed to NPR that Khan was on administrative leave, and the United Nations Office of Domestic Oversight Services (who is leading the investigation) completed the investigation. The senior official said pressure on Khan has been under pressure since May last year, with senior officials from state parties, urging him to step down.

In an internal message sent to representatives of the ICC state party, Ambassador Päivi Kaukoranta, Finnish Ambassador, wrote: “On May 16, 2025, the prosecutor communicated to (the Register) via email, and he decided to take leave until the end of the OIOS program.

In response to NPR's request for comment, ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah issued a statement confirming Khan's falsehood.

The International Human Rights Federation welcomed Khan's decision to waive and said in a statement that it was "the only responsible decision" and said his temporary departure was "critical to protecting the integrity of the court."

Last week, Wall Street Journal Reports said one of his former aides allegations against Khan, a lawyer from Malaysia in her 30s. The document cites testimony that she gave to UN officials, Magazine She reportedly accused him of having sex with her during a mission in New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris, and in the Hague wife's residence owned by his wife, Khan denied the charges.

NPR has not been independently confirmed Wall Street Journal. NPR could not contact Khan's lawyers, but they denied Wall Street Journalwhich reported: "Khan said through his lawyer that it is untrue that he engages in any form of sexual misconduct."

According to the paper, Malaysian lawyers testified to UN investigators that Khan triggered unwanted sexual contacts within a few months, eventually causing her to engage in sexual acts and that she continued to work because she did not want to leave one of the world's leading human rights institutions. She also reported concerns that losing her salary would prevent her from paying her mother’s hospital bills for cancer treatment.

The court announced Friday after an internal review and was under increasing pressure from the United States. Trump administration resettlement ICC sanctions In February, it called it “illegal and unfounded action against the United States and our allies Israel.”

Khan has been leading the ICC last November to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on allegedly suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hamas military commander also issued an arrest warrant in November, and later Hamas confirmed his death.

Netanyahu and Gallant have not appeared in court. Israel denies allegations of war crimes related to its military attack in Gaza following the Israeli attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023. With Khan's temporary departure, the future of the case seems uncertain.