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Dotcom employees go unpaid

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Sun, 12 Feb 2012 9:34a.m.

Concerns have also been raised over the tropical fish in the mansion  (file pic)

Concerns have also been raised over the tropical fish in the mansion (file pic)

The lease for Kim Dotcom's $30 million Auckland mansion will expire on Wednesday, but a few people are still living on the property, because they are yet to find new homes.

Dotcom, the founder of file-sharing website Megaupload, has been in custody since his arrest on January 20, when his Coatesville mansion was raided by police.

Dotcom had assets, including bank accounts, luxury cars and expensive artworks, seized following the raid.

Because access to the bank accounts has been stopped, there is no money to pay rent or the 42 people who worked for Dotcom, the Herald on Sunday reports.

Some of Dotcom's staff have had to seek emergency benefits from Work and Income and a number are unsure about how to get valuable items, seized during the raid, back.

A few people are still living on the property, because they have not found anywhere to live yet.

There are also concerns about the welfare of nearly 60 tropical fish in the Dotcom mansion, as it was feared power to the mansion might be disconnected.

A staff member has continued to look after the fish and the aquarium, which is said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Dotcom, along with three co-accused, Finn Batato, Bram van der Kolk and Mathias Ortmann, face charges of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering and criminal copyright infringement.

It is alleged the group amassed $NZ216 million in criminal proceeds through the Megaupload website.

Dotcom, a German national, was denied bail after two hearings when judges ruled he was a significant flight risk.

All four are due to be the subject of an extradition hearing later this month.


NZN
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14 Feb 2012 01:52p.m.

Chargone wrote:

one of the things claimed to be evidence of money laundering: paying the hosting company for the server space for megaupload. not suspicious at all, that.