Sweden to drop several allegations against Assange

Swedish authorities have decided to drop the majority of allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, however they will continue with a probe into 2010 rape claims.

Three cases, of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, against Assange lapsed because of a five year statute of limitation expiring on Thursday and next Tuesday.

The Australian journalist and activist sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.

Julian Assange is the editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, the website which gained notoriety when it published US military and diplomatic documents which were leaked by intelligence analyst Bradley Manning (now Chelsea Manning).

An accusation of rape made by another Swedish woman, known as Miss W, can still be prosecuted for another five years.

In a statement on Wednesday, Assange’s supporters said: “By failing to take Assange’s statement at the embassy, Swedish authorities have deprived him of the right to answer false allegations against him that have been widely circulated in the media, but for which he has not been charged”. “Even though I have been improperly treated, I would like to thank the many people in Sweden and the UK who have been very understanding of the wrong which has been done to me and my family”, he said.

As far as the rape allegation, lawyers for Assange told the BBC that he could overcome that accusation as well.

Political asylum… Julian Assange has been holed up at the Ecuadorean embassy in central London since June 2012.

The British Government sees the Ecuadorian government’s behavior as interrupting the course of justice.

Under Swedish law, charges can not be laid without interviewing the suspect during a certian amount of time.

With this good news looming in the corner, Assange and his legal advisers are not yet too sure of the circumstances that is to come. “There was no need for any of this”, he said in a statement Thursday.

Swedish prosecutors concede that there is no chance of Mr Assange being indicted on at least two, if not three, of the charges before they expire.

“From the beginning I offered simple solutions”, he reportedly said.

It is understood that Swedish officials are making a last-minute attempt to quiz Mr Assange over the sex crimes allegations.

“The real question is whether even the final part of the case should be written off as well considering the status of the investigation, and considering the ineffective way the prosecutor has handled the case”, Olsson told Sveriges Television (SVT) in Sweden.

Sweden has been negotiating with Ecuador to try and conduct an interview in the embassy in London, but progress has been slow, with both sides blaming each other for the delay.