US presses countries to quit ICC, mocks Maduro probe

United States has repeated its call on member states of the International Criminal Court to abandon the “corrupt and worthless” Hague-based tribunal.

A government statement followed the decision by Venezuela to withdraw from the ICC for engaging in “geographic bias” and “legal warfare” targeting the Venezuelan people.

The South American nation announced its position last Friday, after the Assembly of States Parties voted to dismiss Karim Khan as the chief prosecutor, the first such removal.

The U.S. accused the ICC of wasting its resources on probing and charging persons from countries that have independent judicial systems and never submitted to its jurisdiction.

“This is blatant overreach, political bias and selective enforcement,” the State Department noted, declaring the ICC is “neither credible, independent, nor legitimate.”

Washington mocked the Court for investigating Nicolas Maduro “since 2018 with no result,” saying the former leader is now facing justice in the U.S. “for crimes he has committed.”

An ICC emergency session adopted the decision finding that 56-year-old Khan “committed serious misconduct and serious breach of duty” and ousted him under article 46 of the Rome Statute.

The Statute is the treaty that established the ICC, defining core crimes covered, jurisdiction, and operational framework. It was adopted on July 17, 1998, and became effective on July 1, 2002.

The ICC investigates individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, including the crime of aggression, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

To date, the Court has handled 34 cases, conducted 13 investigations, and concluded 5, while one examination is at the preliminary stage. There have been 74 defendants, with 33 defendants at large.