Media: Netherlands probes alleged surveillance of ICC staff by UK detectives

Dutch authorities have launched an investigation into the activities of two London-based private detective agencies accused of gathering personal data on employees of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and their family members, Dutch newspaper NRC reports.

The probe is being conducted by the Netherlands’ National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), amid growing scrutiny over alleged surveillance targeting court officials in The Hague.

According to NRC, one of the principal targets of the British investigators was a 38-year-old female ICC lawyer who filed a sexual misconduct complaint in spring 2024 against ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan. The report said additional ICC staff members connected to the handling of the case were also allegedly placed under surveillance.

In a letter addressed to the ICC, the NCTV stated that materials collected during the investigation had been transferred to other Dutch intelligence services and the police, which are now examining whether the British detectives violated Dutch law.

The newspaper reported that the investigators were allegedly seeking information that could point to concealment of details related to the case or possible links between ICC staff and Israeli intelligence agencies. According to the report, the detective firms began operating roughly a year after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that the operation was allegedly financed through one of Qatar’s diplomatic missions in Europe, an allegation that Qatari authorities have denied.

The ICC described the alleged targeting of its staff by third parties as “unacceptable activity” and said it was cooperating with Dutch authorities regarding “appropriate response measures.”

Lawyers representing Khan told NRC that any suggestion linking the former prosecutor to such an operation was “completely false.”

In May 2025, Khan took administrative leave while an investigation into sexual harassment allegations, first raised in October 2024, was underway.

Separately, The Guardian reported in August that another woman had informed the ICC of alleged sexual offenses dating back to 2009. At the time, she was an unpaid intern in Khan’s office while he served as lead defense counsel at the ICC and other tribunals in The Hague.

By Vafa Guliyeva