Microsoft has ended its cooperation with the ICC due to U.S. sanctions

The Microsoft corporation has ended its cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to U.S. sanctions, as a result of which the court had to switch to alternative digital services.

This was stated in a conversation with TASS by the leading defense attorney at the institution, Geert-Jan Alexander Knoops.

"The sanctions in force have already led to a company such as Microsoft ending its relationship with the ICC, and the court had to switch to other digital services," he said, adding that this has complicated the work of lawyers participating in proceedings at the court.

According to the agency's interlocutor, U.S. sanctions could undermine the work of the institution, whose activities are criticized by many countries, including Russia. In particular, banks refusing to service the ICC due to the threat of secondary sanctions could jeopardize ongoing investigations and court proceedings. The lawyer expressed the opinion that even possible EU protective measures to counter the American sanctions would not eliminate the risks for banks.

Knoops believes that the U.S. measures could potentially affect all 900 employees of the court, making it difficult for them to travel and to use their bank cards. He reported that in the current situation the ICC is paying salaries to employees and fees to lawyers in tranches covering three months.