Wikileaks whistle-blower and founder Julian Assange is set to be expelled from the Ecuador's London embassy and arrested within ‘hours or days,’ Wikileaks said on Friday, 5 April, reported Bloomberg.
Wikileaks in its tweet said, “A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within “hours to days” using the INA Papers offshore scandal as a pretext – and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest.”
Supporters of Assange have since gathered outside the embassy in wake of the decision, in protest.
Assange took political asylum in Ecuador's London in June 2012 after he was accused of rape and sexual assault against women in Sweden, and has been there ever since, according to ABC News.
Sweden dropped the case in 2017, however Assange continues to stay in the embassy as he fears being extradited to the US to face charges over the WikiLeaks website's release of sensitive US government files.
What Triggered Assange’s Arrest
The expulsion of Assange was an attempt by Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno to cover up activities related to his use of an offshore tax haven created by his brother, known as the INA Papers, Wikileaks claimed. Moreno has denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Ecuador's President is trying to surrender Assange in exchange for debt relief from the United States, according to ABC News.
Earlier this week, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno alleged that the Australian has “repeatedly violated” the terms of his asylum in the country, where he has lived for seven years.
His remarks came after private photographs of him and his family in Europe were circulated on social media. Moreno said Assange did not have the right to “hack private accounts or phones” and could not intervene in the politics of other countries.
Responding to Moreno’s allegations, Wikileaks tweeted, “If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher’s asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind.”
(With inputs from Bloomberg and ABC News.)
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