In a turn of events indicating a possible breakthrough in the Julian Assange sexual assault case, Swedish prosecutors have offered to question the WikiLeaks founder in London.
Previously, prosecutors had refused to face Assange in London, igniting a stalemate which saw Assange taking up residence in the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition. The possible breakthrough, reported by the Associated Press, may be due to the fact that some of the crimes Assange is accused of committed reach their statute of limitations in August.
The alleged crimes include sexual misconduct and rape involving two women he met in 2010.
Lead prosecutor Marianne Ny told the Associated Press that she had made the request to Assange’s legal team today, with the request involving an interview and a DNA sample. Confirming that permission was also being sought from the Ecuadorean Embassy, she commented:
"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, and that he would need to be present in Sweden in any case should there be a trial in the future," 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," Ny said.
With a WikiLeaks spokesperson claiming a victory for Assange, Per Samuelson, one of Assange’s defense lawyers, told the Associated Press: ""This is something we’ve demanded for over four years. Julian Assange wants to be interviewed so he can be exonerated."
