ICC staff report banking blocks before US sanctions take effect

Nazhat Shameem Khan, the deputy prosecutor co-running the office while a new chief prosecutor is appointed, said some staff members are already unable to use their bank accounts even though US sanctions announced on 9 October do not take effect for six months. "What I am hearing from members of our staff is that some of them are experiencing difficulties in banking," she said, describing banks as "over-complying" because the scope of the measures remains uncertain.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on 9 October, calling the ICC a "rogue court" and giving it six months "to negotiate and present a solution to address our concerns". The sanctions target the institution itself, not its staff, Khan said. "In principle, our individual members should not be impacted directly."

Khan, from Fiji, said investigations into the Gaza war and other situations have moved forward since warrants were issued in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Galant. No further Gaza charges have been announced since late 2024 because a court ruling earlier this year requires all charges and warrant applications to remain secret until judges allow disclosure. "While there might be an appearance that nothing is happening, I can assure you that there's significant progress in that particular situation as well as others," she said.

The court is moving its software from Microsoft to European alternatives and negotiating with service providers over banking and health insurance. "All the investigations across all situations continue. We haven't made any decision based on the sanctions to reduce our capability or reduce our output," Khan said. The ICC registrar is speaking with the EU about blocking the sanctions or otherwise shielding the court.

Khan was among 13 ICC staff sanctioned by the US in February 2025. "Life without a credit card is inconvenient. It's amazing how many things now we cannot do around the world, particularly in relation to travel, without a credit card," she said. Formal investigations into sexual harassment allegations against former chief prosecutor Karim Khan began in late November 2024; he denied the charges and was removed in July this year after a member state vote.

This month the court's pretrial chamber unsealed four arrest warrants against Taliban members on charges of gender persecution. The European Parliament awarded its Sakharov prize for freedom of thought to the court and its officials on Thursday.

Khan said she could not predict the full impact once the sanctions take effect. The six-month period announced on 9 October runs to 9 April 2027.