Scammer
Banned
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gestures inside a prison van as he arrives at court in London on December 16.
[video]http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2010/12/15/intv.assange.lawyer.stephens.cnn[/video]
London -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrived at a London court Thursday where he will find out whether he must remain in a London jail pending a decision on his extradition to Sweden.
The 39-year-old handed himself over to London police last week to answer a European arrest warrant from Sweden, which wants to question him over alleged sex crimes.
A judge granted him bail on Tuesday, but Sweden immediately filed an appeal, keeping Assange behind bars until the High Court judge can decide on the Swedish appeal.
"We are hopeful, but of course it is a matter entirely for the judge," Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, told journalists as he entered court Thursday.
He said a number of people have offered to help pay the Assange's bail, and that the money is "in the banking system." Socialite Jemima Khan and prominent left-wing journalist John Pilger have previously offered money to help Assange.
Stephens also complained about the conditions at the jail where Assange is being held in south London. Media reports say Assange is being held in solitary confinement.
"They haven't changed and I remain concerned about him," Stephens said. "I think that it is unfortunate that somebody, who on my advice wouldn't go to jail even if convicted of this offense, at the end of the day is being held effectively on a punishment regime in Wandsworth jail in what are certainly Victorian conditions."
Assange is facing accusations of rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force stemming from separate incidents in August in Stockholm. He has not been charged, but he could face two years in prison if convicted.
His lawyers deny the allegations and have vowed to fight any attempts at extradition.
The case is unrelated to WikiLeaks' recent disclosure of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, something that has outraged the United States and other countries.
The magistrate originally agreed to grant bail after Vaughan Smith, a former British army officer who founded a popular London journalist haunt called the Frontline Club, testified that Assange could stay at his mansion in Suffolk, northeast of London.
Smith will keep Assange "if not under house arrest, at least under mansion arrest," said defense attorney Geoffrey Robertson.
Under the terms the magistrate set, Assange must post bail at 200,000 pounds (about $315,000) plus two sureties of 20,000 pounds each (about $31,500). Assange's passport must remain with police, and he will be monitored by a location tag.
Assange must be at Smith's mansion for at least four hours overnight and four hours during the day, and he will be required to report to police daily between 6 and 8 p.m.
A judge initially refused to grant bail to Assange over concerns including his lack of a fixed address and the possibility he was a flight risk. Smith's offer to keep Assange as his mansion appeared to satisfy some of those concerns.
Whether he is granted bail or not, Assange must still wait until a hearing January 11 to find out whether he will be extradited to Sweden.
Last week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said he had authorized "significant" actions related to a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks' publication of the materials but has declined to elaborate.
Only a small fraction of the 250,000 U.S. State Department documents WikiLeaks says it has have been released, and more are being published daily.
U.S. authorities and other Western leaders say the documents' publication threatens lives and national security. WikiLeaks and its supporters say the public has a right to know what goes on behind diplomatic doors.
