ICC Deputy Khan: Banking Problems Hit Staff Before Sanctions Deadline

ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan reported that court staff are already facing banking difficulties, even though the new US sanctions do not officially take effect until six months after their announcement.

Khan said some employees are struggling to use their accounts because banks are "over-complying" with the new rules to limit their own risk. She noted that while the sanctions target the institution rather than individual staff members, the practical effect is that people are finding it harder to move money.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced the measures on October 9. He gave the court a six-month window to negotiate a solution, warning that Washington would end the ICC if it did not address its concerns. Khan stated that the office has not reduced its output or capability in response to the threat.

Khan added that investigations, including the probe into the Gaza war, have made "significant progress" since arrest warrants were issued in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. She explained that no new charges have been announced recently because the court ruled that all warrant applications must remain secret until judges decide they can be made public.

The deputy prosecutor, who is co-running the office until a new chief is appointed, was one of 13 ICC staff targeted by US sanctions in February 2025. She described the inconvenience of traveling without a credit card but said the experience is minor compared to the needs of victims who seek justice at the court.

The court is currently switching its software from Microsoft to European alternatives and negotiating with service providers for banking and health insurance to insulate itself from Washington. In a separate matter, the European parliament awarded the ICC its Sakharov prize for freedom of thought earlier this week.

Khan responded to Rubio's claim that the court sought to prosecute US citizens by noting that no Americans have ever been brought before the ICC. She pointed to the court's current focus in Afghanistan, where four arrest warrants were recently unsealed against Taliban members for gender persecution.