8 May 2014

Dotcom demands to know NZ's role

8:29 pm on 8 May 2014

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom is demanding to know what role New Zealand's internal spy agency played in his residency application

Kim Dotcom.

Kim Dotcom. Photo: AFP

Lawyers for the United States Government have asked the court to dismiss the application before the Auckland District Court today, describing it as nothing more than a fishing expedition.

Christine Gordon, QC, said the latest application in a long line of legal wrangling was part of an overall effort to delay the extradition hearing, set down for July.

Mr Dotcom was granted permanent residency in 2010 but his lawyer, Paul Davison, QC, said he believed the Security Intelligence Services (SIS) was involved in the decision.

He said there was a planned strategy to secure Dotcom in New Zealand to make it easier for US authorities extradite him to face copyright charges. The chronology of events showed the residency decision came hot on the heels of meetings between the Government and Hollywood representatives.

Mr Davison said his client had no wish to hold up the extradition process but wanted all the information so he can defend himself.

The application must be heard and it would be inappropriate to dismiss it without hearing the arguments, he claimed.

Ms Gordon described Mr Dotcom's application as a fishing expedition that has no relevance to the extradition hearing.

She said even if a number of assumptions are made in favour of Mr Dotcom's theory - that the SIS told Immigration NZ to allow the application and that a Minister knew of the SIS involvement - it would have no impact on the hearing.

Nothing unlawful had happened, she claimed.

Mr Dotcom and his co-accused were watching the submissions from the public gallery.

The hearing will resume on Monday.