Swedish prosecutors will not move forward with an investigation into alleged rape committed by Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, the Swedish investigative team has announced.
The Prosecution Authority said that while the victim was considered credible, oral testimony regarding the case had “weakened” and that corroborating evidence was not strong enough to pursue the case.
It was determined that the evidence was simply not strong enough to file an indictment, and that interviewing Julian Assange regarding the case would not change this assessment.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority made the announcement during a press conference in Stockholm on Tuesday.
Assange is currently being held in a UK prison and is in the middle of a court battle to avoid extradition to the United States. Swedish authorities reopened the rape investigation following his arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy last April.
The Prosecution Authority said that its decision could be appealed. Announcing the decision, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson told members of the press that “time” had played a significant role in discontinuing the sexual assault probe.
No apology from Swedish Prosecution service over fact #JulianAssange case has been going on for 9 years. Current lead Eva-Marie Persson says she can only take responsibility for her work over past 6 months. She has confirmed they did not interview Assange again during this time.
Commentators speculated that by dropping the charges, Sweden may actually be paving the way for Assange’s extradition to the United States.
By dropping the charges against Julian #Assange, Sweden ironically removes another way to stop an extradition to the US for him. Sweden can't extradite him there, and the charges against him was probably a hindrance for the UK to just extradite him. https://t.co/CvF0QdeaNW
