Did NZ give Dotcom residency, to make his arrest easier?

This is the question being asked by more than just Kim Dotcom today, after it came to light that when his residency request was stalled due to previous criminal convictions in 2010, Dotcom was suddenly, inexplicably given it, after correspondence between police, FBI and immigration officials.

This all happened back in October 2010, when Dotcom was attempting to gain citizenship in New Zealand after living in Hong Kong for a while. However, during his background check, his previous convictions for hacking – and a small fine for failing to disclose some information to authorities in HK – were brought up. This prompted further checks that showed Dotcom was being investigated by the FBI. As you might expect, this pulled the handbrake on the immigration procedure while it was looked into. However, after some back and forth between different authority groups, the previously stalled application was rushed through.

None of this would seem that shady if we didn't already know that the New Zealand government and its intelligence agencies were quite keen on underhanded tactics. In-fact they used invalid warrants to arrest Dotcom in the first place during an armed raid on his home and performed illegal spying for months beforehand.

“[Prime Minister Key] said ‘There is no conspiracy’. But why did we get residency after SIS learned of FBI case & declined approval?” Dotcom said via his Twitter. “Did we get New Zealand residency because the U.S. govt preferred its extradition laws & cozy politics over Hong Kong?”

“Our lawyers are getting to the bottom of this,” Dotcom said this morning while speaking with TorrentFreak.

KitGuru Says: And the Dotcom case continues to deepen. Whatever the result of his eventual extradition trial, the information that's coming to light as part of its development is very illuminating.

Become a Patron!