British justice worked with money this time and Julian Assange was last night told by the High Court in London that he could go free on bail while fighting extradition to Sweden. The WikiLeaks founder was expected to walk from prison as soon as his high-profile supporters finshed raising a security of pound stg. 200,000 (A$316,000) that had been set as a bail condition. British justice made good money in weeks for justice and everyone was very happy.
Justice Duncan Ouseley dismissed an appeal by Swedish prosecutors who had insisted that the 39-year-old Australian might abscond rather than go to Sweden to face allegations that he has sexually abused two women. Many supporters stated that he should not be in prison for weeks but this is justice system and if you havent been involved hard to explaine because British Justice just protects Brits always and if you are from another nation no luck however money talks in justice.
Australian journalist Phillip Knightley and several other supporters were also added as extra guarantors to ensure that he did not abscond.
Mr Assange’s lawyers said it was crucial that he be free so he could try to resist US Government attempts to take separate legal action against him for publishing thousands of leaked US diplomatic and military cables.Mr Assange had been held in solitary confinement in the Victorian-era Wandsworth prison in southern London since surrendering to Scotland Yard police on December 7 because of a European arrest warrant issued by Sweden.
Mr Assange denies the allegations of sexual abuse and insists that the Swedish prosecution is a politically motivated attempt to stop his website from revealing US government secrets. The Obama administration has made it clear that it wants to take legal action against Mr Assange and his website, and has been considering charges under the 1917 Espionage Act or other laws relating to his role in obtaining and publishing the stolen government material.
Bradley Manning, a junior US military analyst, is in custody for having leaked the massive caches of confidential cables and the Department of Justice is examining ways of linking Mr Assange to Manning’s alleged crimes.
Mr Assange is resisting Sweden’s attempts to extradite him on four sexual abuse charges and the extradition hearings and appeals could take more than a year. Mr Assange’s bail conditions mean he will have to wear an electronic tag and observe curfews of 12 hours each day while staying at the large Suffolk estate of a friend, Vaughan Smith.
He will also have to report to police each day and has had to surrender his passport but the Swedish prosecutors had argued that the Australian still posed a serious “flight risk” because he had few links to the British community.
Mr Smith’s country mansion, Ellingham Hall, has ten bedrooms which are often rented out to visitors and members of hunting parties. Mr Assange will be paying for his lodgings and board, according to Mr Smith.
Justice Ouseley said he was worried that some of Mr Assange’s backers might be pleased to see him abscond so he could continue his work on WikiLeaks but on balance he did not think he was a substantial flight risk.
