Julian Assange, the founder of the Wikileaks whistleblower website, admitted that he had sexual relations with one of two Swedish women who accused him of sex crimes.
Mr Assange said that he had consensual sex more than once with a woman who has accused him of molestation.
Sweden’s top prosecutor reopened investigations into allegations of molestation from the woman and of rape by another Swedish female on Tuesday.
Mr Assange has rejected the allegations as a conspiracy, perhaps originating in the Pentagon, and yesterday said the charges were holding up his application for Swedish residency.
The freedom of information campaigner has sought Swedish residency because its laws offer broad protection said secrecy enforcement.
WikiLeaks published more than 70,000 secret military files on Afghanistan in July in what US officials have called one of the biggest security breaches in US military history.
A lower official had withdrawn a rape probe against Mr Assange two weeks ago, while allowing an investigation into lesser molestation charges to continue.
Mr Assange said he had been warned by Australian intelligence that he could face a campaign to discredit him after leaking the documents.
“It appears to be highly irregular and some kind of legal circus,” Mr Assange said. “I say the same thing I have said the entire time. I have not done anything with these two women that was not completely voluntary from both parts.”
He cryptically added that he was facing legal action in the US as well.
“I was dumbfounded and concerned as to the integrity of the Swedish judicial process,” he said. “I know what I have done with my life therefore I know that these accusations are baseless and disturbing.”
Mr Assange said he was convinced he was facing a smear campaign but could not be sure who was behind it or for what reason.
“Who was behind this, we do not know. Whether that turns out to be a smear campaign done by a couple of people for personal motives or ideological motives, or whether that is larger and involves geopolitical concerns or whether it is a mixture of all those, we do not know,” he said.
The women involved. who have the same lawyer, have rejected the suggestion they were acting at the behest of a hidden conspirator.
Events of the last two weeks had caused Mr Assange to question the impartiality of Swedish prosecutors. He said: “I am losing confidence in the Swedish justice system.” – Telegraph
