BBC Online
Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.
Prosecutors had previously insisted on questioning Assange in Sweden, after seeking his arrest in 2010.
Assange denies the assault claims and has been living at the Ecuadorean
embassy in London since 2012. He fears that if he is sent to Sweden he could then be extradited to the US to face charges over leaking material.
A lawyer for Assange, Per Samuelson, welcomed the move. “He is willing to co-operate fully now in conducting this interrogation – this is a great victory for him,” he told the BBC World Service.
“We’ve been waiting for this for over four years.”
The lead Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying some potential charges against Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.
“My view has always been that to perform an interview with him at the Ecuadorean embassy in London would lower the quality of the interview,” Marianne Ny said in a statement.
“Now that time is of the essence, I have viewed it therefore necessary to accept such deficiencies in the investigation and likewise take the risk that the interview does not move the case forward.”
Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny has long resisted questioning Julian Assange in London, arguing that it would lower the quality of her interviews and insisting that he should be flown to Stockholm instead.
But the clock is ticking because under Swedish law there is a time limit for investigating some offences. In Assange’s case, prosecutors only have until August 2015 to question him about some of the allegations, although they have until 2020 to investigate the most serious alleged rape offence.
Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.
Prosecutors had previously insisted on questioning Assange in Sweden, after seeking his arrest in 2010.
Assange denies the assault claims and has been living at the Ecuadorean
embassy in London since 2012. He fears that if he is sent to Sweden he could then be extradited to the US to face charges over leaking material.
A lawyer for Assange, Per Samuelson, welcomed the move. “He is willing to co-operate fully now in conducting this interrogation – this is a great victory for him,” he told the BBC World Service.
“We’ve been waiting for this for over four years.”
The lead Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying some potential charges against Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.
“My view has always been that to perform an interview with him at the Ecuadorean embassy in London would lower the quality of the interview,” Marianne Ny said in a statement.
“Now that time is of the essence, I have viewed it therefore necessary to accept such deficiencies in the investigation and likewise take the risk that the interview does not move the case forward.”
Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny has long resisted questioning Julian Assange in London, arguing that it would lower the quality of her interviews and insisting that he should be flown to Stockholm instead.
But the clock is ticking because under Swedish law there is a time limit for investigating some offences. In Assange’s case, prosecutors only have until August 2015 to question him about some of the allegations, although they have until 2020 to investigate the most serious alleged rape offence.
