The International CPI grants the prosecutor Karim Khan to separate from the investigation. The lawyer Venkateswari Alagendra, hired by Nicolás Maduro to defend him from the accusations of having committed crimes against humanity, is the prosecutor of the prosecutor
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) orders its maximum representative, Karim Khan, to separate from the Venezuela case ithat investigates crimes against humanity, because, says the document, “there are reasons to believe that there is a cause of the prosecutor’s challenge and that it has the obligation, in accordance with rule 35 of the rules of procedure and evidence, to request its dispensation of the situation of Venezuela.”
The ICC gives Khan a period of three weeks to fulfill the obligation to separate from the investigation.
In the midst of the inquiries advanced by the CPI against some Venezuelan officials, the American newspaper The Washington Post He revealed that lawyer Venkateswari Alagendra, hired by Nicolás Maduro to defend him from the accusations of having committed crimes against humanity, is the sister of the prosecutor’s wife; That is, it is Karim Khan’s sister -in -law.
The lawyer Alagendra, like Khan’s wife, integrates the Bar Association of the International Criminal Court, and has participated in processes as part of Maduro’s defense.
Given this situation, in November 2024, the Arcadia Foundation and Mr. Robert Carmona-Borjas submitted to the ICC an application for the prosecutor’s challenge before this case “for conflict of interest”; By exposing that there was a family, professional and hierarchical relationship between Karim Khan and his sister -in -law, Venkateswari Alagendra, who said “compromises judicial impartiality and legitimacy of the actions.”
Although Khan did not denied his link with the lawyer Alagendra and said that this “is not narrow enough to constitute a reason for disqualification in the terms of the rule”, the Appeals Chamber of the ICC points out that the prosecutor “did not sufficiently addressed the issue, namely, if his family, professional and hierarchical relationship previous with the MR. Alagendra, taken together, could provide reasons to reasonably doubt its impartiality, ”says the document.
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court also reports that “it reserves the right to resort to other legal channels, including the challenge of the prosecutor in the situation in question, if the circumstances demand it.”
The lawyer and member of access to justice Ali Daniles explains that this decision to separate Karim Khan from the Venezuela case and for “conflict of interests” should not affect the course of research Because the prosecutor “has an investigation for harassment and because of that investigation, he separated from the position.”
Daniels recalls that from that separation, all the investigations in charge of the International Criminal Court, including that of Venezuela, were assumed by the two attached prosecutors and adds that if Karim Khan were acquitted of the investigation for harassment, “he would know again of all the investigations, except that of Venezuela by this decision.”
In November 2021, the CPI prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced the opening of an investigation for possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela, committed since April 2017. Nicolás Maduro and other officials of the ruling party qualified this action as partialized and politicized, in favor of those who advers them.
*Also read: Narváez: “ICP withdrawal will not end investigation for crimes against humanity”
*Journalism in Venezuela is exercised in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments arranged for the punishment of the word, especially the laws “against hatred”, “against fascism” and “against blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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