New Prosecutor Appointed at the International Criminal Court

Mr Khan signed his oath before the ICC Registrar, Mr Peter Lewis, and delivered his first remarks as the Prosecutor of the ICC.

Mr Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC gave his solemn undertaking and formally took office on June 16 as the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a ceremony held at the Seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. 

Mr Khan, a national of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was elected as ICC Prosecutor on February 12 2021, for a nine-year term, at the second resumed nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (“ASP”) in New York.

In accordance with article 45 of the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the ICC, the ceremony was held in open court. The ceremony was presided over by ICC President, Judge Piotr Hofmański. 

“On behalf of the Court, I offer heartfelt congratulations to Mr Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC. As President of the Court, I look forward to working with him to strengthen our joint institution,” President Hofmański stated.

The Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), H.E. Ambassador Kateřina Sequensová, speaking on behalf of the ASP, stated that Mr Khan brings “an impressive amount of experience in international criminal justice” and that she was confident that his tenure “will constitute a fundamental pillar in the process of delivering international justice which we are all deeply committed to.” H.E. Ambassador Sequensová then administered the solemn undertaking.

Mr Khan took a public oath of office declaring: “I solemnly undertake that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously, and that I will respect the confidentiality of investigations and prosecutions.”

Mr Khan then signed his oath before the ICC Registrar, Mr Peter Lewis, and delivered his first remarks as the Prosecutor of the ICC.

Earlier, a number of farewell events were held in honour  of  the outgoing Prosecutor of the ICC, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, whose nine-year mandate at the head of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor came to an end on June 15, 2021. She served the Court since 2004, first as Deputy Prosecutor.