WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s request for an appeal has been granted by the Supreme Court.
The two-day appeal begins in February, which means Assange is safe from extradition until at least next year.
A statement from the court said it had “decided that seven justices will hear the appeal given the great public important of the issue raised, which is whether a prosecutor is a judicial authority”.
Assange’s legal team argue that police and prosecutors should not have the right to order extraditions because they are not a proper judicial authority.
Assange, whose WikiLeaks website published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables which embarrassed international governments and businesses, denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated.
The 40-year-old Australian is currently held on bail at a friend’s country estate in the southeast of England, where he wears an electronic tag.