ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, accused of sexual misconduct, loses appeal to lift suspension

THE HAGUE- International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, has lost an appeal to have his interim suspension lifted by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates British court lawyers, the body said on Tuesday.

Khan, a 56-year-old British lawyer, denies the allegations against him.

Khan had already been suspended from his position on June 8 by the ICC's governing body, prolonging a crisis at the war crimes court, which is also under U.S. sanctions over investigations into the United States and Israel.

The Bar Standards Board says Khan is suspended from practice as a barrister until the board or a disciplinary tribunal has ruled on the claims against him.

His supporters have suggested that he has become a political target for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Israel's conduct in its war in Gaza.

The ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, opened in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by nationals of member states or on the territory of its members.

-Reporting by Stephanie van den BergEditing by Peter Graff/Reuters