The Swedish Prosecution Authority will reopen its case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
The deputy-director of public prosecution, Eva-Marie Persson, has decided to reopen the Assange case that was previously discontinued.
The authority has requested that Assange be detained in his absence suspected on probable cause for an allegation of rape from August 2010.
In order to execute a detention order, the prosecutor will issue a European Arrest Warrant, and an application for a detention order will be submitted to Uppsala District Court, as the suspected crime took place in Enköping municipality.
“On account of Julian Assange leaving the Ecuadorian embassy, the circumstances in this case have changed,” says Persson. “I take the view that there exists the possibility to take the case forward.
“Julian Assange has been convicted of a crime in the UK and will serve 25 weeks of his sentence before he can be released, according to information from UK authorities.
“I am well aware of the fact that an extradition process is ongoing in the UK and that he could be extradited to the US,” she adds. “In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority.
“The outcome of this process is impossible to predict. However, in my view the Swedish case can proceed concurrently with the proceedings in the UK.”