Mexico City, : An Ecuadorian court has dismissed an appeal launched by the defense of Swedish national suspected of having links to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, reaffirming that he should remain in pre-trial detention, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.
Ola Bini, 37, was detained on suspicions of having a role in hacking government computer systems, in the wake of the arrest of Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Ecuador’s Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo reportedly said Bini had visited the embassy over 10 times.
“By the majority, the court of the Pichincha province confirmed the pre-trial detention for the Swedish national and dismissed the appeal lodged by his defense,” the statement, issued on Thursday, read.
Assange was arrested after having spent nearly seven years in the embassy. The WikiLeaks founder, who has become famous for leaking classified US government data, may now face extradition to the United States on charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
(UNI)