The founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange speaks to members of the media as he leaves a police station in Beccles, England. -- PHOTO: AP
LONDON - WIKILEAKS chief Julian Assange said in an interview published on Sunday he had signed deals for his autobiography worth more than one million pounds (S$2.2 million) Assange told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the money would help him defend himself against allegations of sexual assault made by two women in Sweden.
'I don't want to write this book, but I have to,' he said. 'I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.' The Australian said he would receive US$800,000 (S$1.4 million) from Alfred A. Knopf, his American publisher, and a British deal with Canongate is worth 325,000 pounds.
Money from other markets and serialisation is expected to raise the total to 1.1 million pounds, he said.
The latest project of Assange's whistleblower website is the gradual release of tens of thousands of US diplomatic cables.
Since this latest project began Assange, who is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to extradite him over the sex assault claims, has faced problems financing WikiLeaks.
A court in London is due to hold a full hearing on the Swedish extradition request starting Feb 7. -- AFP
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