Assange lawyer claims Sweden acted improperly in probe

JULIAN Assange’s lawyer and a Swedish legal expert yesterday accused Swedish prosecutors of irregularities and illegality in the way they built a sex crimes case against the WikiLeaks founder.

Assange was in a London courtroom for a second day yesterday, fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims of rape and sexual molestation made by two Swedish women. His lawyers argue global publicity surrounding the case and the Swedish custom of hearing rape cases behind closed doors mean he would not get a fair trial.

Assange has denied the rape and sexual molestation claims and his lawyers say prosecutors have rebuffed his offer to be questioned from London about the allegations.