14 Years of Crown Law’s Role in the Megaupload Extradition Case: Leading Up to the FBI’s Global Shutdown Operation

It has been 14 years since Crown Law began working on the Megaupload extradition case, ahead of the FBI’s global operation to shut down the file-sharing site in January 2012.

Kim Dotcom’s lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, told the Court of Appeal that the internet mogul’s treatment compared to his co-accused was grossly disproportionate and would “shock the conscience of properly informed New Zealanders”.

Mansfield argued that the decision to allow Dotcom’s co-accused Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk to be tried in New Zealand in exchange for giving evidence against Dotcom was unjust and did not follow prosecutorial guidelines.

The High Court had previously found that the Justice Minister’s decision to surrender Dotcom to the United States was correct and there was no evidence the request was improper or politically motivated. It also upheld the Police Commissioner’s decision not to charge Dotcom in New Zealand, stating different circumstances applied to him compared to his co-offenders.