New Zealand court delays Megaupload extradition hearing to next year
Source: Reuters
New Zealand court delays Megaupload extradition hearing to next year
WELLINGTON | Mon Jul 9, 2012 9:04pm EDT
(Reuters) - A New Zealand court has delayed an extradition hearing for internet tycoon and Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom until March 2013 because of questions about the search and seizure of evidence by the United States where he faces charges of internet piracy and fraud.
William Akel, one of Dotcom's lawyers, said on Tuesday a hearing scheduled for August has now been postponed to a tentative date of March 25 because two judicial reviews regarding illegal search warrants and evidence disclosure are still underway.
"It was inevitable that the hearing for August was going to be vacated because we have two existing cases in the High Court," Akel told Reuters.
In its highest-profile investigation into online piracy, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation alleges that Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, led a group that has netted $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorization.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/10/net-us-megaupload-extradition-idUSBRE86901Y20120710