TLDR
- New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has signed an extradition order for Kim Dotcom to face charges in the US
- Dotcom is accused of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering related to his file-sharing site Megaupload
- The extradition decision comes after a 12-year legal battle by Dotcom to avoid being sent to the US
- Dotcom says he plans to fight the extradition order and “is not leaving” New Zealand
- Two of Dotcom’s former business partners previously pleaded guilty to charges in New Zealand
New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has signed an order to extradite Kim Dotcom, the founder of the defunct file-sharing website Megaupload, to the United States. This decision marks a significant development in a legal battle that has lasted over 12 years.
Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz in Germany, faces criminal charges in the US related to his operation of Megaupload. US authorities allege the site cost movie and music studios more than $500 million by allowing copyrighted material to be posted and shared. The charges include copyright infringement, money laundering, and racketeering.
“I considered all of the information carefully and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial,” Goldsmith said in a statement. The minister did not specify a date for the extradition, noting that Dotcom would be allowed “a short period of time to consider and take advice” on the decision.
Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition since 2012 when New Zealand police arrested him in a dramatic raid on his Auckland mansion. The arrest involved two marked helicopters, with police having to cut their way into a locked safe room to reach him.
In response to the extradition order, Dotcom expressed his intention to stay in New Zealand. “I love New Zealand. I’m not leaving,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). His legal team, led by tech attorney Ira Rothken, announced they are preparing a judicial review to challenge the extradition order in New Zealand’s High Court.
I love New Zealand. I’m not leaving
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 15, 2024
Rothken listed several “injustices” in the case, including allegations of illegal government raids on Dotcom’s family home, illegal spying, withholding and destruction of evidence, and the blocking of legal funding by the US. He also raised concerns about the possibility of a fair trial in the US.
Dotcom founded Megaupload in 2005. The site quickly became popular, used by millions to store and share large files online. However, US authorities shut it down in 2012, alleging it was primarily used for copyright infringement.
The case against Dotcom and his co-defendants has seen several developments over the years. In 2021, New Zealand’s Supreme Court ruled that Dotcom and two other men could be extradited. However, two of Dotcom’s former business partners, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, pleaded guilty to charges in a New Zealand court in June 2023. They were sentenced to two and a half years in jail, and US efforts to extradite them were dropped.
Dotcom has maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. He and his co-defendants have argued that Megaupload was simply a file-sharing website and that they shouldn’t be held responsible for what users uploaded to it.
Beyond his legal troubles, Dotcom is known as a digital rights activist and has shown support for cryptocurrencies. He founded the crypto startup Bitcache, a file-sharing and micropayments platform, though it never officially launched and went into liquidation in 2023 due to unpaid legal fees.
The post Kim Dotcom: Megaupload Founder Faces US Extradition After 12-Year Legal Battle appeared first on Blockonomi.
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