Assange's aid suffered set back from Ecuadorian court over bail plea in hacking case

A Swedish national linked to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and accused of computer hacking was denied bail by a court in Ecuador on Wednesday. Ola Bini was arrested while trying to leave Ecuador for Japan on April 11 -- the day Quito withdrew its offer of asylum to Assange, who had taken refuge in its London embassy since 2012.

The Ecuadorian government has accused Bini, 36, of plotting to attack computer systems in the country. Bini had refused to cooperate with investigators and the prosecution was, therefore, unable to identify the possible victims or damage caused by the alleged hacking, Judge Yadira Proano said in denying his bail application.

Defence lawyer Jose Charry said Bini's rights had been infringed and the prosecutor "did not do his job" by failing to identify or explain the nature of the charges. Assange was taken into British custody and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for violating the conditions of his bail in 2012 when he sought asylum at the embassy in London.

He was later charged under US anti-espionage laws for the 2010 publication of thousands of military and diplomatic documents by WikiLeaks. The Australian also faces a European arrest warrant against him for an alleged rape committed in Sweden the same year.