Kim Dotcom Is Facing His Biggest Challenge in Years After New Zealand Approves His Extradition to the U.S.

Megaupload no longer exists. The famous download site went out of business in 2012 when the FBI and other agencies seized its domain name amid copyright infringement allegations. Kim Dotcom, the founder of the defunct service, is still in serious legal trouble.

The German-born, New Zealand-based businessman has been trying to avoid prosecution in the U.S. for 12 years. However, New Zealand justice minister Paul Goldsmith has signed an extradition order. Goldsmith’s decision paved the way for a trial in this country that could determine his near future.

Will Dotcom Go to Jail?

According to Reuters, Goldsmith carefully considered all the information in the case before deciding. The New Zealand judiciary has given Dotcom a “short period” to review the extradition order. It’s unclear whether New Zealand will soon extradite the entrepreneur.

According to the Department of Justice, once the requested country is ready to extradite the person, it will coordinate with the requesting country’s authorities to transfer the wanted individual into custody. It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time Dotcom has faced such a situation.

​​New Zealand’s High Court first approved the extradition of the Megaupload founder in 2017, and an appeals court reaffirmed the decision the following year. In 2020, the country’s Supreme Court again upheld the decision. However, such actions are usually subject to multiple levels of review.

Now, true to form, Dotcom has quickly challenged the actions with a series of posts on X. “I love New Zealand. I’m not leaving,” he said shortly after the news broke. Remember that Dotcom faces copyright infringement charges, money laundering, and racketeering.

Megaupload was once one of the most visited sites on the Internet. Users shared diverse files, including copyrighted movies, songs, and software. According to the plaintiffs, Megaupload facilitated copyright infringement and caused the entertainment industry more than $500 million in losses.

This article was written by Javier Marquez and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Images | Robert O'Neill (CC BY-SA 4.0) | Screenshot

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