Kim Dotcom released on bail, apparently no longer a flight risk

Kim Dotcom, the founder of the now defunct cyberlocker Megaupload, has been released on bail, after a judge surprisingly decreed he was no longer too much of a flight risk.

Following a raid last month, Dotcom was arrested in New Zealand and his assets seized including cars, cash and a mansion. Dotcom was denied bail twice, due to access to money and jets but the latest judge has granted the request, stating that the police have not proven he has any assets left to remain a high flight risk.

The U.S. is looking to extradite Dotcom and six others involved with Megaupload to stand trial over criminal copyright violations and racketeering charges.

Officials in the U.S. have until March 2nd to file the paperwork for extradition with the court. Dotcom has stated he would prefer to stand trial and fight the charges in New Zealand, where he was lived for some time.

Megaupload, at its peak, accounted for 2 percent of all Web traffic thanks to its 66 million users. The site is said to have brought Dotcom and others $150 million in advertising and subscription revenue.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Feb 2012 20:29

bigdan45

Yeah buddy. Good luck with that one.

22.2.2012 00:35 #1

nbfreak2

Well they took all his money not much of a flight risk now?.....

22.2.2012 07:13 #2

LordRuss

He might as well stay in jail. Where is the poor bastard to go? A cardboard box just outside the doors of the courthouse? I can only imagine the ulcer these people are brewing over this.

We've been so damned quick to hear the smear campaign & damnation of this guy & his company in the media over the last month (or two) yet haven't heard shite in his defense. I mean 'really', where the hell is his team of lawyers? You know, the ones with the bar codes at the base of their skulls.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

22.2.2012 10:53 #3

mystic

any lawyer half his salt could get the release of the funds to mount a defense or at least with that kind of money at stake and his freedom maybe he'd be willing to cut a team of lawyers a deal to rep for him.. and then go after those bastards for screwing with him in the first place...

22.2.2012 12:34 #4

LordRuss

Originally posted by mystic: any lawyer half his salt could get the release of the funds to mount a defense or at least with that kind of money at stake and his freedom maybe he'd be willing to cut a team of lawyers a deal to rep for him.. and then go after those bastards for screwing with him in the first place...
That's exactly what I was thinking. Yet we have heard nothing of the sort in rebuttal. Unless it's a form of defense to literally keep from showing anything of his hand?

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

22.2.2012 16:05 #5

llongtheD

Originally posted by LordRuss: Originally posted by mystic: any lawyer half his salt could get the release of the funds to mount a defense or at least with that kind of money at stake and his freedom maybe he'd be willing to cut a team of lawyers a deal to rep for him.. and then go after those bastards for screwing with him in the first place...
That's exactly what I was thinking. Yet we have heard nothing of the sort in rebuttal. Unless it's a form of defense to literally keep from showing anything of his hand? What do you think the odds are on getting access to any of the information the government has seized and sealed? The government and their biggest "donors" are busy building a railroad right up the a**es of these guys.

24.2.2012 08:04 #6

LordRuss

Originally posted by llongtheD: What do you think the odds are on getting access to any of the information the government has seized and sealed? The government and their biggest "donors" are busy building a railroad right up the a**es of these guys. Slim to none... not to mention the fact that the government has probably destroyed evidence. This is obvious given their lack of concern over legitimate data on the servers prior to public outrage before allowing people to get their information off of them earlier this month (or whenever).

Theoretically, seeing as this guy has been arrested, if he were in the US, under freedom of information/disclosure, we could get a 'bulk' account of the charges & counter claims as they would be public record. That's how our system works. I can't answer for other countries (obviously).

I'm kind of surprised that Anonymous hadn't made some kind of swim through a couple of servers after the 5-6 data farms like Megaupload that had been taken down. As I understand it, The Pirate Bay & possibly a couple other torrent vendors are looking to get smacked around again here real quick.

I'm really beginning to wish the consumer protection lawyers would grow some balls like these copyright & alphabet Nazi lawyers have.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

24.2.2012 12:52 #7

Striker911 (unverified)

Thats it. I want all my money back for my subscription the the internet. If they dont offer anything then its worthless. Oh I get to see the news, chat with people that dont give a crap on fb, or cry about how we all got the shaft yet again in a new way. When will this end? Stop taking our freedom. Thats all anyone in power seems good at anymore. Take the power back and fire the worthless jerks. They should be doing their own jobs. Working FOR US. Anyone crying about copywrite law should go to hell. Look how much money u already make you pigs. Give us a bone at least. Sorry im all over the place on some points but this is sick. Taking everything a man has just cause u can. Its not rite. U can arrest and take any persons estate if you try. PIGS.

24.2.2012 20:11 #8

CounterBack (unverified)

Everyone on different forums are talking how bad and dangerous are the boys from government,internet police,ISP providers (everything in connection with copyright holders,makers and protectors).
Now why there is NO Present a movement-LARGE group of people users and buyers of all those Copyright sick-os which will lobbying NOT to buy anything from them. They will run out of money -in due course-and THEY will not have money to pay their lowers to chase people around the globe and make more profit out from them as well??
Instead of that they will put all their efforts (to late I assume) of satisfying the potential customers not putting them behind bars. They say:Greed is good, it is - if it is implemented with good not senselessly and without measure. Everything is overpriced-hence the Piracy - and the quality is lost as well.Something will happen in the near future and like all the great Empires one day all of them BIG players will fall inevitably as proven throughout the human history.

24.2.2012 22:44 #9

scorpNZ

Blunder may see Dotcom's assets returned

Internet piracy accused Kim Dotcom could get millions of dollars worth of assets back after a legal blunder over the court order used to seize the items.

Dozens of cars and bank accounts, property, jewellery, artworks and jet skis were among the assets seized from the Megaupload website founder after he was arrested on January 20 after a police raid on his mansion.

High Court Justice Judith Potter on Friday declared the restraining order "null and void" as a result of a legal blunder by police and Crown Law, the Herald on Sunday reports.

The order had "no legal effect".

Police Commissioner Peter Marshall had applied for the incorrect restraining order, and "confused" legal moves by opting for one which did not give Dotcom a chance to mount a defence, Justice Potter said.

Crown lawyer Anne Toohey wrote to the court on January 30, outlining five errors with the initial application.

She enclosed an application for a new, retrospective restraining order, which has been granted temporarily.

However, Justice Potter said she would soon make a ruling on whether the mistake should result in Dotcom getting his assets back.

Dotcom's lawyers have challenged the error, saying the assets "must be released" because they were "unlawfully seized and restrained under the order".

Dotcom and his three co-accused, Finn Abated, 38, and Mathias Ortmann, both of Germany, and Dutch national Bram van der Calk, 29, are on bail awaiting extradition to face charges in the United States of racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering.
A provisional start date for the extradition hearing, which could take three weeks, has been set down for August 20.

link to original news item
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-storie...ssets-returned/

AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
Console Mod Tuts: http://www.elitemodscene.com/

17.3.2012 21:36 #10

LordRuss

The extradition should therefore be null & void under the same auspices. BS is BS. Desperation is a funky cologne... We can all smell it.

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

18.3.2012 13:55 #11

AfterDawn: News