Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his former colleagues on Monday took their fight against being extradited to the U.S. to New Zealand\u2019s top court.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court began hearing arguments in the seven-year-old case after Dotcom and the others lost several previous court rulings.<\/p>\n
But even if the men lose their latest appeal, they have legal options which could keep their case alive in the New Zealand court system and delay any extradition for several more years.<\/p>\n
U.S. authorities in 2012 shut down Dotcom\u2019s file-sharing website Megaupload and filed charges of conspiracy, racketeering and money laundering. If found guilty, the men could face decades in prison.<\/p>\n
Megaupload was once one of the internet\u2019s most popular sites. U.S. prosecutors say it raked in at least $175 million, mainly from people using it to illegally download songs, television shows and movies.<\/p>\n
Ira Rothken, one of Dotcom\u2019s lawyers, said in an interview that if anyone did something illegal in relation to Megaupload, it was the users.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis case is all about trying to hold Megaupload and Kim Dotcom and the others responsible for the acts of users,\u201d Rothken said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re saying you can\u2019t do that. You can\u2019t do that in the United States and you can\u2019t do that in New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court has scheduled five days to hear the appeal. After that, it could take them several months to issue their decision.<\/p>\n
Should the Supreme Court uphold the earlier court rulings and find the men are eligible for extradition, then New Zealand\u2019s Justice Minister Andrew Little would need to make the final decision on whether the extraditions should proceed. And Little\u2019s decision could also be appealed in the courts.<\/p>\n
Dotcom, who was arrested in 2012 during a dramatic police raid on his mansion and incarcerated for a month, was released on bail more than seven years ago.<\/p>\n
In addition to Dotcom, who founded Megaupload and was its biggest shareholder, the U.S. is also seeking to extradite former Megaupload officers Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato. The indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court in eastern Virginia.<\/p>\n
Dotcom did not attend Monday\u2019s hearing, although the other three men did. Rothken said Dotcom was at his home in Queenstown and was being kept informed of developments.<\/p>\n
Dotcom said his wife was helping the defense team.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wonderful wife Elizabeth has graduated law school to become a lawyer this year and today she\u2019s fighting alongside my legal team for our future,\u201d Dotcom wrote on Twitter. \u201cFrankly if it wasn\u2019t for Liz I don\u2019t think I could have made it this far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source: time.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"