Kim Dotcom vows to remain in New Zealand, after being served extradition warrant
Friday, 16 August 2024
The Government is once again trying to deport Kim Dotcom, but the millionaire founder of Megaupload is vowing to remain in New Zealand.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed to Stuff on Thursday that he had approved Dotcom’s extradition to the US. The Americans have, for more than a decade, been trying to have him extradited to face charges related to copyright infringement and internet piracy.
Responding to the news, Dotcom said: “I love New Zealand. I’m not leaving.”
And, “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
Stuff asked Dotcom on Friday what his plan was, but he did not respond to messages.
Why it matters
The saga over Dotcom’s residency in New Zealand, and his battle to remain out of the US justice system, has seen Hollywood-esque police raids, political stunts, and huge legal fights.
By signing the extradition warrant, Goldsmith has all but sealed Dotcom’s fate. But Dotcom says he will seek a judicial review of Goldsmith’s decision.
That means the Saga, which has stretched on for almost 15 years, is not over yet.
The breakdown
A lawyer for Dotcom, Ira Rothken, said they would apply to the New Zealand High Court to review Goldsmith’s decision.
A judicial review can assess whether a decision has been made properly, and whether the decision maker has followed the law in coming to their decision. That is slightly different from an “appeal” of the decision itself.
Rothken said they would argue that Dotcom has faced unjust, disproportionate, and unfair treatment both in New Zealand and from the US.
He said they would also argue that it would impossible for Dotcom to receive “fair trial” in the US.
It was unclear on Friday how long the legal process in New Zealand would take.
Dotcom would remain in New Zealand until that process was complete.
Who said what
Goldsmith said he had received strong advice supporting Dotcom’s extradition.
“I have received extensive advice from the Ministry of Justice on this matter,” he said, in a statement on Thursday.
“I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial.”
Dotcom said Goldsmith’s decision showed New Zealand was an “obedient US colony in the South Pacific”.
The history
The FBI has been trying to arrest Dotcom for more than a decade.
It enlisted the help of New Zealand law enforcement and spy agencies. The GCSB spied on Dotcom before the Police, alongside FBI agents, raided Dotcom’s Auckland mansion in 2012. The raid included helicopters and more than 70 officers, including the armed Special Tactics Group.
By 2014, Dotcom remained in New Zealand and stepped into politics.
He founded the Internet Party, which partnered with Hone Harawira’s Mana Party as an anti-establishment political movement. It failed to enter Parliament at that election.
Dotcom has started a family in New Zealand. He lives with his youngest child, and his second wife Elizabeth, in Queenstown.