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Dotcom Extradition Hearing Faces Further Delay

Kim Dotcom’s extradition hearing was initially scheduled to take place last August, but was delayed until March next year because legal arguments on a number of issues complicated the case.

Today the news broke that the hearing may be delayed even further.

liberationMSN reports that Anne Toohey, a lawyer acting on behalf of the commissioner of police, told the court there is a “high likelihood” it may now be delayed until July.

Megaupload’s founder is not happy with the news, as it means he has to make significantly more legal costs.

“Extradition hearing delayed AGAIN. Because the US government is rejecting to provide evidence,” Dotcom commented on Twitter.

The delay also means that fewer funds are available to pay staff.

“Our staff are the breadwinners for their families and they are family to us. Our kids love them. But Crown Law wants them gone,” Dotcom noted.

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  • Quantocks

    Anne Toohey is a real cunt

    • Colin Carr

      Wrong! A real cunt is useful.

      • Oxit Ets

        Not shaved, smells like 3 weeks old shrimp garbage.

  • Guest

    If the US were absolutely certain that the evidence against Megaupload held water then they would have broken down brick walls to get this case to trial. Yet the US are now saying that it could be another 4 months before they are ready. Either there is no evidence to support their case against Megaupload or they are trying to delay to avoid having to comply with NZ court ruling that they have to give fuller disclosure of evidence. If I were the Judge I would put my foot down and state that they have until x month to provide the evidence or the case for extradition will be dismissed. Maybe the threat of extradition dismissal may get the US to provide evidence or drop the case.

    • Vincent Giannell

      Or get them angry and sue you for threatening them and supporting a criminal..

    • Dondilly

      I think they are probably gearing up for a fight in the US.

      The unsealed seizure application in the USA relies solely on what amounts to planted evidence (the ninja video files). The fact those files were retained on mega’s servers after being notified of their existence by the FBI was used out of context with the clear intention of misleading the court.
      While the FBI misrepresent the workings of mega, these stem from the resultant seizure that relied on the ninja files. This deception makes the warrant and resultant seizure unlawfull and any perceived evidence the FBI think they have gained is inadmissible in court. You add the that, the ruling that the raids , seizure and spying in NZ have been ruled illegal (and the nz courts demanding the fbi return data), it doesnt leave the FBI much.

      They are no doubt preparing to fight this out in court in the US as if the indictment falls apart pre trial, extradition becomes a moot point.

      • delafield44

        Is there a way to challenge the indictment without a full appeareance? That is to say, without the defendants waiving jurisdiction (in the corporate defendant case) or being extradited?

  • Gee

    Classic DOJ tactic, drag it out until no funds left for defence.

    • delafield44

      I agree. Dotcom had a point today that he is guilty until proven innocent. Sadly, he is right, he is only innocent on paper. Effectively, he has already been tried and convicted and has to prove himself innocent to get his business and earned money back.

  • http://torrentfreak.com/ Rob8urcakes

    There’s no case to answer, no charges to defend oneself against and yet US enforcement agencies see fit to seize all of MU’s equipment, premises and cash.

    This type of action isn’t done by a free, peace-loving democratic Nation.
    It’s done by a bunch of elected tyrants who answer not to their political Party nor to their electorate, but to the fraudulent paymasters.

    This is why the USA is losing respect and honour Worldwide, and have now become the United Corporate States of Fascist America in which big businesses now Rule government despite the fact those businesses were never elected to represent us.

    • Gen. Eric Guy

      Much of the USA is losing respect of the USA. Some states are intent on seceding, and are starting to look pretty serious about it too.

      I’ll have to admit, this has been an interesting year.

      • Guest

        aka Divided States of America

  • Guest

    I think its a pretty open and shut case, as a US citizen, I say if the US is unwilling to hand over sufficient evidence the case should be thrown out in NZ courts. the Crown should issue a demand to the DOJ that if they don’t supply the requested evidence on a specific date then the case will be thrown out. It would let the Mega-accused get back to their lives even if they have to start them over from scratch. I’m appalled to watch this farce go on and how my country is ruining the lives of people who wronged no one and nothing but the wallets of a few plutocrats; an offense, i might add, is their own doing because they failed to embrace the change in both social standards and content availability! MU shouldn’t have been held responsible for that!

    • http://profiles.google.com/zerianis10 Christopher Kidwell

      Agreed. Not just the NZ courts but the U.S. courts as well.

  • Whatever

    If anyone else would be “rejecting to provide evidence” in any other situation a hearing wouldn’t have been delayed. It would have gone ahead and dismissed anything demands by the rejecting party. And likely include awarding compensation for the legal costs.

    The US calls it a “Mega Conspiracy”.

    It actually should be called the “US Giga Conspiracy”.

  • http://twitter.com/monurta JH

    If they have enough evidence to raid and shutdown his company, how can it take them 15 to 18 months to get enough evidence together in order to extradite him?

    • Guest

      The DOJ/FBI may have given the US Judge Bullcrap in order to get the seizure warrant signed etc. but the NZ court are having none of the bullcrap and now the US are refusing to comply with the NZ courts decision to provide giving fuller disclosure of evidence of their case against Megaupload. My guess is that the evidence they are refusing to give will fall apart and blow up back in their faces when it they reveal it.

  • BTGuard - BitTorrent Anonymously

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