In a statement posted to Twitter, WikiLeaks said Assange never applied for the visa or authored the letter, identifying a former associate of his as the source of the document. The Russian Embassy in London said it didn’t discuss the personal details of visa applicants. The Swedish prosecution jeopardized what at the time was WikiLeaks’ biggest-ever disclosure: the publication of around 250,000 US State Department cables. Shamir told the AP he was plagued by memory problems and couldn’t remember delivering Assange’s letter or say whether he eventually got the visa on Assange’s behalf. Shamir said he’d personally brokered a Russian visa for Assange, but that it had come too late to rescue him from the sex crimes investigation.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 17, 2018 12:59 UTC