Authorities in New Zealand are currently weighing an extradition request from the United States, which wants Dotcom to stand trial for allegations of copyright infringement and related crimes. Dotcom’s defense requested the U.S. send their evidence for its use in the extradition hearing, according to the BBC.
The U.S. had initially refused to do so, but New Zealand District Court’s Judge David Harvey said that extradition hearings need to see the evidence to be “properly informed,” adding that Dotcom’s hearing was in danger of becoming “one-sided” if the U.S. didn’t comply.
The evidence in question was gathered during an information-collecting campaign carried out by the United States in nine different countries.
Megaupload met its demise earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted seven of the site’s staff, including Dotcom. The site’s staff have been accused by the U.S. of taking part in the “Mega Conspiracy, a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale.” New Zealand authorities raided Dotcom’s lavish mansion, arresting him and several others.
The U.S. submitted their extradition request soon afterwards, but the process is legally complex and can take months or even years to resolve. Dotcom’s extradition hearing is scheduled for August. He’s been released on bail, and was freed from electronic monitoring equipment after New Zealand authorities decided he wasn’t going to flee the country.
