15 Apr 2014

Crown pushes to keep Dotcom orders

10:42 pm on 15 April 2014

Police are seeking to extend restraining orders on property belonging to internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom.

Kim Dotcom.

Kim Dotcom. Photo: RNZ

Police seized cars, jewellery, and other property when they raided Mr Dotcom's Coatesville mansion near Auckland on 20 January 2012.

Bank accounts were also frozen at the request of the United States, putting millions of dollars in assets out of Mr Dotcom's reach.

The restraining orders expire on Friday and police want to extend them, but lawyers for Mr Dotcom and his wife Mona Dotcom say they should lapse.

Acting for Mr Dotcom, Robert Gapes told the High Court in Auckland that the police are asking for the extension in relation to a civil lawsuit against his client.

Mr Gapes said the original order related to the criminal charges against Mr Dotcom and should not be extended for a different purpose.

However, Crown lawyers say the orders should continue. They say Mr Dotcom still has a generous living allowance of $20,000 a month.

Mr Dotcom is fighting extradition to the US to face copyright, money-laundering and fraud charges.