Fate of ICC chief prosecutor heads to unprecedented vote as US sanctions keep him out of New York

Diplomats at UN headquarters in New York will vote on whether to permanently remove International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

Khan is accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, which he denies, and was found by the ICC oversight body to have committed serious breach of duty and misconduct.

Khan cannot attend the vote because he is barred from entering the United States by sanctions imposed by the Trump administration over the ICC's investigation into Israeli officials.

The Netherlands is the only country to publicly announce it will vote for Khan's removal.

The outcome of the secret vote among the 125 nations of the Assembly of States Parties is unclear.