Lawyer says Assange will remain in custody for time being

LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will remain in jail in London for the time being despite a court decision to grant him bail, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Mark Stephens, representing Assange, said: “An innocent man will stay in jail.”

An intervention by the Swedish authorities to launch an appeal against the bail ruling confirmed that “this is more of a persecution than a prosecution,” said Stephens.

In addition to the Swedish legal move, the case was being complicated by the need to raise 200,000 pounds ($318,000) in cash to secure Assange’s release.

“It will take us some time to raise that money. It will be some time until Assange is out,” said Stephens.