Amal Clooney ‘told Julian Assange how to avoid arrest and flee Britain’, leaked documents show
AMAL Clooney advised WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on how to avoid arrest and flee Britain without being prosecuted, leaked documents reportedly show.
The human rights lawyer, who was made Britain's press freedom envoy in April, reportedly told Assange how he could sabotage the Government’s bid to jail him.
Back in 2013, Amal suggested Assange could be made Ecuador’s technology minister, giving him diplomatic immunity, according to documents seen
Amal reportedly wrote: “It may be legally possible for JA [Assange] to be appointed to an Ecuadorian ministerial or diplomatic post.
“This could give him immunity from arrest and right of passage out of the UK.”
At the time, Assange was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after claiming political asylum since 2012.
He was evicted in April and is currently behind bars in the UK, serving 11 months for breaching bail.
Assange had been attempting to block extradition to Sweden, where two women accused him of rape.
He remained in the embassy for seven years, fearing a lesser charge of failing to surrender to the court in 2012 could lead to his extradition to the US.
Amal, who is married to Hollywood star George Clooney, started representing Assange after he first sought refuge in the embassy.
AMAL'S 'GAMEPLAN'
In September 2013, she reportedly set out exactly how Assange could continue to evade British authorities.
Despite being Australian, Amal is said to have told Assange, 47, he was “uniquely qualified to become a minister in Ecuador.
She pointed out that he would even be exempt from tax if he were to take up a position as an Ecuadorian diplomat, reports claim.
As his lawyer, Amal was duty bound to give him the best advice she could and was acting within her professional rules.
But the claims could still prove embarrassing for Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who appointed Amal as his special envoy in April.
She was the star speaker at the Global Conference for Media Freedom hosted by Mr Hunt on Wednesday.
Following her reported advice, Assange remained in the embassy for seven years until he was kicked out earlier this year.
ASSANGE IS BEHIND BARS
Assange was then immediately arrested by British police on April 11 and is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for jumping bail in 2012.
After being jailed, the WikiLeaks founder was moved to a medical ward in the high security Belmarsh prison in May and his supporters expressed "grave concerns" about his health.
Assange has been attempting to block extradition to the US on charges of computer hacking and disclosing classified documents.
His case has been described as "one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States".
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Last month, Assange looked to be on the brink of being extradited to the US where he faces 175 years behind bars.
The UK’s home secretary Sajid Javid approved an extradition request from the US for Assange to face criminal charges.
But a final decision will not be made until a full hearing is held in February next year.
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