Swedish prosecutor preparing new application to interview Assange

LONDON: Feb 9 The Swedish prosecutor heading a preliminary investigation into Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over an allegation of rape said she was preparing a new application to interview the Wikileaks founder in Ecuador's embassy in London.



Last week a United Nations panel report said Assange's period at the embassy amounted to arbitrary detention.

"The prosecutor in charge, chief prosecutor Marianne Ny, is currently working on a new application to interview Julian Assange in Ecuador's embassy in London," Sweden's prosecution authority said in a statement.



"In relation to the report which was released last week, I can state that it does not change my earlier assessment in the preliminary investigation," Ny said in the statement.

Assange, 44, took refuge at the embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations, which he denies, that he committed rape in 2010.