Prosecutors in Sweden said Monday it will provide an update with “new information” this week on a probe into a 2010 rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The investigation bordered on events which took place in August 2010 after a Swedish woman met the Australian at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm.
Assange has always denied the allegation.
In a statement, the prosecution agency said it was planning a press conference on Tuesday at 1300 GMT when the prosecutor will give a briefing on the “investigative measures taken” and “provide new information”.
The 48-year-old has been held at a top-security British prison since April after police dragged him out of the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where he had been holed up since 2012 to avoid an extradition order to Sweden.
Assange was subsequently sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail conditions when he took refuge in the embassy.
Following his arrest, Swedish authorities reopened their 2010 rape investigation, which had been closed in 2017 on the argument it was not possible to proceed with the probe as Assange could not be reached.
In September, prosecutors said they had interviewed seven witnesses over the summer and that Assange was suspected of rape.
Swedish deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson — in charge of the investigation — also said the material from the interviews was to be analysed further before she decided on how to proceed.
Eva-Marie Persson has now taken the decision to “discontinue the investigation regarding Julian Assange”, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.
“The reason for this decision is that the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question,” it added.
Ms Persson said: “I would like to emphasise that the injured party has submitted a credible and reliable version of events.
“Her statements have been coherent, extensive and detailed; however, my overall assessment is that the evidential situation has been weakened to such an extent that that there is no longer any reason to continue the investigation.”
Australian-born Assange faces a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in the US.
He is accused of participating in one of the largest ever leaks of government secrets, which could result in a prison term of up to five years.
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