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Assange inquisition closer after Sweden, Ecuador sign pact

World's most famous couch-surfer can expect a visit from Swedish plod sooner rather than later

Ecuador and Sweden have struck an agreement on how the two nations will co-operate on criminal matters that will likely advance the investigation into sexual assault charges levelled against Wikileaker-in-chief Julian Assange.

Ecuador's Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana revealed the agreement last week. The Ministerio's statement on the agreement says, after a pass through an online translat-o-tron, that “The agreement in question is undoubtedly an instrument that strengthens bilateral relations and facilitate, for example, compliance with judicial proceedings, as the interrogation of Mr. Assange asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador in London.”

Assange has been couch-surfing in Ecuador's London embassy for over a thousand days, at the time of writing. Assange sought refuge in the embassy as a means of avoiding extradition to Sweden, where he feels he will not be granted a fair trial. The white-haired one also fears possible extradition to the United States of America, where it is felt the government has compiled a special book to throw at him over Wikileaks' release of classified US documents.

News of the pact between Sweden and Ecuador is not unexpected: the two nations have been chatting since at least September and hoped to reach a deal by year's end.

The Grauniad reports that Assange's legal team believes Swedish prosecutors may be able to meet with the Wikileaks boss later this week, probably on Thursday. ®

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