The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan has been dismissed from his post following a vote by member states over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Diplomatic sources, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the matter, confirmed that 82 of the court's 125 member states voted in favour of his removal on Friday.

Mr Khan, 56, vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

His legal team has criticised the process leading to the vote, labelling it unlawful, procedurally unfair, and lacking evidentiary support.

The decision by member states largely aligns with a conclusion reached last month by the court's oversight body.

It determined that the British barrister had engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior ICC lawyer and recommended his termination.

This development also comes as the United States announced a renewed diplomatic campaign aimed at dismantling the ICC, which it views as a threat to its sovereignty.

Rubio hits out at ‘lunatics’ at the court

During a visit to the Philippines on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "lunatics and crazies involved in the ICC" and there was no way any U.S. political or military officials would ever go on trial at the court, reiterating previous criticism.

The U.S., which is not a member, has imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, citing the ICC's arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and a past probe into U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Election process to begin

Khan's accuser spoke publicly for the first time last week in an interview with CNN in which she repeated her allegations that the prosecutor had a non-consensual sexual relationship with her.

Lawyers for Khan told Reuters he denied "any sexual relationship of any kind" with the staff member.

Khan's dismissal immediately triggers the election process for a new ICC prosecutor who is not expected to be voted in before next year.

Any active ICC warrants will remain in place even if Khan is dismissed because only ICC judges have the authority to withdraw warrants.

Venezuela withdraws from ICC

Venezuela has formally notified the United Nations of its "irrevocable" decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said on Friday.

The government justified the move by alleging a "geographical bias" within the court, claiming it disproportionately targets nations in the Global South, specifically across Africa and Latin America, Plasencia said in a post on X.