The Ecuadorian government yesterday reiterated its offer to Swedish prosecutors to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy following a “significant” speech by a senior Scandinavian judge.

Justice Stefan Lindskog defended the leaking of classified information, saying the case against the Australian was “a mess’’, and raised questions over the legality of the United States being able to extradite Mr Assange via Sweden.

Mr Assange has been inside the Ecuadorian embassy since last summer fearing that if he went to Sweden to answer claims of sex offences, he would be sent to the US.

Justice Lindskog, chairman of the Supreme Court of Sweden, said in a lecture in Adelaide, Australia, that what was classified under US law was probably not classified under Swedish law, and enemies to the US may not be enemies to Sweden.

A spokesman for the Ecuadorian government said: “It is interesting that a senior official from the Swedish judicial system has acknowledged that they have the power to block onward extradition to the US of Julian Assange.

“If such a guarantee was offered by both the Swedish and UK governments then we believe it would go a significant way to resolving the present situation.”