Submission by lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder states that justices ruled against him on legal point not argued in court
Julian Assangean can still take his case to the European court of human rights if he loses his latest appeal. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have formally asked the supreme court to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes. Their 18-page submission states that a majority of justices ruled against him on the basis of a legal point not argued in court. The highly unusual procedure revolves around the applicability of the Vienna convention on the law of treaties and whether a European arrest warrant can be issued by a prosecutor. The supreme court confirmed that it had received the application by Dinah Rose QC, Assange's barrister. It will now consider the written submission. It can then either reject the application to reopen the case, call for fresh written arguments, or decide to hold a second oral hearing. If Assange loses in the UK's supreme court, he can still take his case to the European court of human rights, further delaying the extradition process for many months.
