A hidden microphone has been found inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is holed up for over a year, according to the country's foreign minister.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said the device was discovered a fortnight ago inside Ecuadorean ambassador Ana Alban's office, while the minister was in the UK to meet Assange and discuss the whistleblower's future with the British foreign secretary William Hague, the Guardian reported.
"We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone. I didn't report this at the time because we didn't want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this matter," Patino said yesterday.
"Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision what could be the origin of this interception device in the office of our ambassador," he added.
Patino described the discovery of the device as "another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments" and said he would reveal more details as to who might have planted the microphone.
The Foreign Office in London has declined to comment on the bugging allegation.
Since June 19, 2012, Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after been granted a diplomatic asylum by the Latin American nation.
The British government intends to extradite the 42-year-old Australian to Sweden under a arrest warrant to face sexual assault charges once he leaves the embassy, which the whistleblower may result in his subsequent extradition to the United States to face charges over the leak of thousands of American diplomatic cables.
Ecuador's protection of Assange has strained relations with Britain. Patino has said his government and Assange were prepared for a long waiting game, with the WikiLeaks founder telling him he was fit enough to spend another five years inside the embassy.
