(Bloomberg) -- Swedish prosecutors are dropping a rape case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been investigated over the allegations since 2010.

The evidence against Assange isn’t sufficient to file charges, according to deputy director of public prosecution, Eva-Maria Persson.

Swedish authorities reopened the probe after Assange was evicted in April from the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had been holed up for almost seven years. Since then, Assange has been serving a 50-week sentence in the U.K. for skipping bail while facing extradition to Sweden. He is facing separate American charges for endangering national security by conspiring to obtain and disclose classified information, and a hearing to decide whether he may be extradited to the U.S. is scheduled for February.

During the summer, Swedish investigators talked to seven witnesses about the alleged rape.

Assange appeared last month in a U.K. court hearing, where his lawyers sought extra time to fight the American charges. In rambling, often inaudible comments, the 48-year old Australian said he didn’t understand the proceedings and that he wasn’t able to do research from his cell at the Belmarsh prison in south-east London.

To contact the reporter on this story: Niclas Rolander in Stockholm at nrolander@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.