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Assange costs UK police £2.9m to watch

Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:29AM GMT

Press  TV

British police have so far wasted £2.9 million amid massive austerity measures to keep officers outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London to ensure WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange does not leave the building.

Assange has been holed out in the embassy and has secured political asylum from Ecuador after he lost a legal battle on June 19 against extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over sexual abuse allegations.

The Scotland Yard said they have paid £2.3 million to police stationed outside the embassy building on duty and another £600,000 to officers deployed overtime.

The revelations of the costs of keeping the Ecuadorian embassy under 24-hour watch have also drawn reactions from the embassy officials.

“The Ecuadoran government is concerned by the significant cost to the taxpayers of London of policing the embassy,” a spokesman said.

“However, we believe this expenditure could be avoided if the UK government would provide the undertakings that the Ecuadoran government has sought that there will be no onward extradition of Julian Assange to the United States,” the spokesman added.

The embassy further stressed they will continue to “protect Julian Assange’s human rights” until they obtain the assurance from the British government.

AMR/HE

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/16/289195/assange-costs-uk-police-29m-to-watch/

February 16, 2013 - Posted by | Uncategorized

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