Assange's health has deteriorated recently and he would leave the embassy, where he has lived since June 2012, for a hospital visit in the near future, after which the whistleblower's options for taking shelter will be limited, the Bloomberg news agency reported, citing two sources.
In late July, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said that he wanted to resolve Assange's issue without problems for his country, adding that consultations with the UK authorities and WikiLeaks representatives were being held with that aim. Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Jose Valencia, in turn, stressed the need to handle the situation with Assange, noting that the whistleblower could not stay in the embassy forever.
In a separate development, Assange's legal team has denied the Bloomberg report saying that Ecuador is seeking criminal proceedings against the Wikileaks founder for hacking into the embassy's network.
Boomberg today, burying the lead. Mr. Assange's legal team is entirely unaware of this claim. It's probably fake news from Bloomberg. If it isn't then it's obvious what is happening. pic.twitter.com/cnCnCftFhx
— #FreeAssange! (tweets by campaign)⌛ (@JulianAssange) 1 августа 2018 г.
READ MORE: Ecuador President Says Assange Must Eventually Leave London Embassy
According to The Guardian, Ecuador spent nearly $5 million on a clandestine intelligence operation, called Operation Guest, to hire international security and undercover agents to follow Assange’s visitors. The operation was purportedly endorsed by ex-president Correa and former Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.