IT ENTREPRENEUR KIM DOTCOM HAS A FAN IN JUDGE HELEN WINKELMANN

The UK Guardian reports: “Attempts to extradite internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom to the US have suffered a further setback, with a ruling in the New Zealand high court that a raid on his Auckland mansion was illegal.

Justice Helen Winkelmann said the warrants used when more than 90 New Zealand officers stormed the Megaupload founder’s home and other properties in January were too broadly cast, “lacking adequate specificity as to the offence”.

“The search and seizure was therefore illegal,” she ruled, adding that it was “clear that the police, in executing the warrants, have exceeded what they could lawfully be authorised to do”.

In a strongly worded, 56-page judgment, which may call into question the admissibility of evidence in any future extradition hearings, Winkelmann said police had acted unlawfully by refusing to release material that was not relevant to the charges, and that their provision to the FBI of cloned hard drives seized in the raid was in breach of extradition legislation. Among the seized items that police have refused to release is video footage captured by Dotcom’s surveillance cameras of the raid on the mansion.”

Reporting: Toby Manhire. More Kim Dotcom news at the hamburger.

Both surrounding news stories in the US and NZ at the time also need to be looked at, as to why both countries politicians flexed the States might on Mr Dotcom. The story appeared on the news, as a little bit “Russian” (like from back in the cold days Russian) when it played down on air. It didn’t look like a German-USA-NZ story. It made many New Zealanders feel freedom was being impaired and they moved to Aussie. Thanks!

[Photo captions: Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom said he was happy with the ruling that the raid on his mansion was illegal. Photographs: Reuters. & John Selkirk].

~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 29.6.12~