Officials close to Mr Khan, 54, have suggested he may be the victim of a smear campaign, but the prosecutor has stopped short of directly accusing Israel of involvement. Instead, he said he and the ICC had been “subjected to a wide range of attacks and threats.”

Mr Khan told the Guardian he did not pressure the woman to drop her complaint.

His lawyers said: “Our client denies all of the allegations and we are very concerned that the revelation of a confidential and closed internal matter is intended to undermine his ongoing, high-profile work at a sensitive time. »

In an earlier statement issued when the allegations first surfaced in the media, Mr Khan said: “There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct.

“I have worked in various contexts for 30 years and no one has ever filed such a complaint against me. »

“Coercive sexual behavior”

The accusations include unwanted sexual touching and “abuse” over a prolonged period, as well as allegations that Mr Khan “pressed his tongue” to the woman’s ear, The Guardian reported.

There are also allegations of coercive sexual behavior and abuse of authority, according to the newspaper.

The alleged victim has made no comment. Multiple sources told the Guardian she resisted alleged pressure to disavow the allegations and believed Mr Khan wanted her to say the accusations were fabricated.

The sources said the woman had been reluctant to file a complaint against Mr. Khan because she was afraid of reprisals and that Israel could exploit the case for political reasons.

“Zero tolerance policy”

After the allegations first surfaced, the Independent Monitoring Mechanism, which investigates ICC misconduct, issued a statement calling for respect for the privacy of everyone involved.

“The court applies a zero-tolerance policy towards prohibited conduct, such as harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of authority,” the text states.

“Any reports of misconduct are taken very seriously, with full respect for the presumption of innocence, as well as the duty of care owed to ICC personnel. »