The International Criminal Court confirmed that its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, will step down pending the results of an investigation into allegations against him.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has stepped down temporarily as an investigation by United Nations investigators into alleged sexual misconduct by him nears its end, court sources told Reuters on Friday.

In a letter sent to his staff and seen by Reuters, the prosecutor said that he had been keeping his position under constant review. "I have made the considered decision to take leave, he said.