Julian Assange could be imminently cleared of three of the four sex assault allegations he faces, as the deadline for prosecuting him is about to expire.
The three allegations, from which he has been hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 after failing to prevent extradition in the courts, will reach the five-year expiry date within the next week, as set out under the Sweden's statute of limitations.
The situation was branded "an injustice" by a lawyer representing one of the alleged victims.
Assange denies the allegations against him, made by two women in Sweden in August 2010, and insists extradition to Sweden could lead to extradition to the United States over the secret documents published by the whistleblowing organisation.
A spokeswoman for the Swedish Prosecuting Authority (SPA) said one allegation of sexual molestation and one of unlawful coercion would expire tomorrow (Thursday), while another of sexual molestation would expire on Tuesday (August 18).
But an allegation of rape will not expire until 2020, she added, meaning Assange could not simply leave the embassy.
Assange has previously said he agreed to be interviewed by Swedish authorities inside the embassy but he claimed in June the country's chief prosecutor had cancelled an interview appointment.
The SPA spokeswoman said: "The prosecutor still wants to interview him. The prosecutor still has not got permission from Ecuador."
Former Tory MP Louise Mensch accused Assange of "cheating rape complainants" and called him a misogynist.
See more at The Huffington Post
