A New Zealand judge has declared the seizure of cash, cars and property from MegaUpload’s CEO Kim Dotcom as “null and void” and having “no legal effect” after New Zealand police filed the wrong order to conduct the seizure.
According to the New Zealand Herald, a temporary order has been granted but Justice Judith Potter is still determining whether or not to allow the return of property, or grant a permanent order order of seizure. But it appears unlikely, as according to Canterbury University professor Ursula Cheer, Dotcom’s lawyers will have to show evidence that there was a lack of good faith – and that will be hard to prove without hard evidence.
Though, certainly this has embarrassed the New Zealand Attorney-General.
Police back in January raided the sites of MegaUpload, taking down the site and seizing NZ$200 million worth of assets – including luxury cars and cash. This left him with no money to fight claims against extradition to the United States to face several charges – all of which Dotcom denies.
He is currently on bail.