A report in the Ecuadorian media said these moves were afoot because article 79 of the Ecuador constitution forbids the extradition of citizens.

Assange was granted Ecuadorian citizenship last year by then president Rafael Correa. The new president, Lenin Moreno, appears to have closer ties with the US and has met US vice-president Mike Pence since he came to office.

The WikiLeaks publisher has been holed up in Ecuador's London embassy since June 2012 when he took refuge there to avoid being arrested by the UK and fearing extradition to the US thereafter.

Paola Vintimilla, a member of the Ecuadorian Assembly, has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to annul Assange's citizenship, based on a claim that the sole purpose of making him a citizen was to give him diplomatic status so that he would not be arrested by UK authorities if he left the London embassy.

Vintimilla claims to have papers which show irregularities in the process gone through to give Assange citizenship.

Assange's problems began when he visited Sweden in August 2010 to attend a conference where he was scheduled to give a talk. During that visit, he had sex with two women and the pair later filed rape and molestation complaints against him, claims that he denied.

He was questioned by Swedish authorities and cleared. He could have left the country then and there, but stayed for a while, in case the authorities decided to question him again.

Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest on 20 November 2010. On 27 November, Assange surrendered to authorities and appeared before a Westminster judge. He was granted bail in December after his backers provided £240,000 in cash and sureties.

A legal back and forth eventuated and went on until June 2012, when Swedish prosecutors sought his extradition.

Assange's lawyers, among them the world-renowned Australian Geoffrey Robertson, replied that if he agreed to the extradition request, then he could be flown to the US from there.

On 19 June 2012, he jumped bail and took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy, seeking asylum in the South American country. British police surrounded the building and blocked any chance of his leaving and have been guarding the building ever since.

Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012.