Former US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that the court has abused its power by issuing unwarranted arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Joav Galant. Trump's order accuses the court of "malicious conduct" and states that the US, like Israel, does not recognize the ICC.
The ICC issued international arrest warrants last year against Netanyahu and Galant for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza War. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, and several members of Congress from both parties had strongly criticized the ICC's actions against Israel.
Trump further accuses the court of claiming jurisdiction "without legitimate basis" and initiating preliminary investigations against US personnel. The sanctions target ICC staff and supporters involved in investigations, indictments, or arrest warrants against US personnel or allies like Israel.
According to Trump's order, assets of those sanctioned will be frozen, and US individuals and companies will be prohibited from engaging in financial and economic transactions with them. The sanctioned individuals will also be barred from entering the United States.
In a separate development, Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for a fraud and gambling scheme. Mizuhara admitted to bank and tax fraud charges and was ordered to repay nearly $17 million to Ohtani and over $1 million to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in back taxes.
Mizuhara, who had served as Ohtani's English interpreter since his US Major League Baseball debut in 2018, was fired last year following media reports about his gambling activities. Investigations into Ohtani's finances revealed that Mizuhara had stolen nearly $17 million from the athlete to pay off debts owed to a Southern California bookmaker.