CPS, not Swedes, behind Julian Assange bail appeal
As WikiLeaks man returns to court, Swedes say: ‘We have no view on bail’
It has emerged that Swedish authorities were not involved in the
appeal against Julian Assange's bail. Instead, it is the UK's Crown Prosecution Service which is hoping to prevent the WikiLeaks founder fighting extradition to Sweden as a free man, says the Guardian.
Assange is back in court in London today, hoping to find out whether he will spend Christmas in a Suffolk mansion or Wandsworth jail. But his legal team have been thrown into confusion by the latest discovery.
Assange's lawyers say they were told by the CPS that it was Sweden which was pushing to keep the 38-year-old Australian in jail after he was granted bail on Tuesday. However, yesterday the CPS confirmed to the Guardian that they were behind the appeal.
The paper also spoke to the Swedish prosecutor's office. The
communications director there, Karin Rosander, told them: "The
decision was made by the British prosecutor.
"I got it confirmed by the CPS this morning that the decision to
appeal the granting of bail was entirely a matter for the CPS. The
Swedish prosecutors are not entitled to make decisions within
Britain."
She added: "The Swedish authorities are not involved in these
proceedings. We have not got a view at all on bail."
The news that British prosecutors are seeking to overturn the judge's decision to grant the WikiLeaks founder bail – and the misinformation previously surrounding that appeal – will add to suspicions there is something grubby about the attempted extradition.
In a letter to the Guardian last week, the charity Women Against
Rape said Assange was being pursued with "unusual zeal" and observed that there is a "long tradition of the use of rape and sexual assault for political agendas".
Outside the court on Tuesday, one female protestor expressed similar sentiments on her banner: "Sex crimes my arse!" Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/72874,people,news,cps-not-swedes-behind-julian-assange-bail-appeal?DCMP=NLC-daily#ixzz18HFndfxv
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