New Zealand authorities may be forced to return millions of dollars in personal property of MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom that was seized in connection with his January arrest because of a procedural error in court documents, according to the New Zealand Herald. Luxury cars, cash and other property were seized under a specific type of court order which should never have been granted, a judge ruled late last week, declaring the order “null and void” and having “no legal effect.”
Police arrested DotCom on January 19 at his mansion outside Auckland at the request of the United States government. U.S officials allege he is the mastermind of a criminal enterprise designed to facilitate massive theft of movies, TV shows and music. Police and government officials acknowledge making the embarrassing “procedural error” in documents filed to authorize seizure of DotCom’s assets. Unless his attorneys can prove authorities acted in bad faith, however, Dotcom isn’t necessarily guaranteed to get his property back.
Seizure of those assets have crippled DotCom’s financial ability to fight the charges and his extradition to the U.S., but he was released on bail about a month after his arrest.
