GCSB's incompetence 'incredible' - Labour

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GCSB incompetence 'incredible'

3News NZ

Kim Dotcom (Photo:Lloyd Burr/3 News)

Kim Dotcom (Photo:Lloyd Burr/3 News)

It took the Government Communications Security Bureau eight months to discover it had spied on Kim Dotcom illegally, and his lawyer wants to know if the US was involved.

Prime Minister John Key has confirmed in Parliament the agency told him on September 17 about its surveillance.

"The GCSB recognised the error a few days before it told me," he says.

The spying began on December 16 and ended on January 20 - the day Dotcom and three of his associates were arrested in a police raid on his Auckland mansion.

Opposition MPs say it's unbelievable the GCSB took so long to find out Dotcom and one of his associates, Bram van der Kolk, were New Zealand residents.

The GCSB is forbidden by law to spy on New Zealand citizens or residents.

"Google `Dotcom residence' and you get 10 million hits," Labour's deputy leader Grant Robertson says.

"And we have to believe our spy agency is so incompetent it couldn't even use Google to identify that Kim Dotcom was a resident."

MPs also say its "incredible" that the GCSB was unaware of Dotcom's $500,000 fireworks party in 2010 to celebrate gaining residency.

Mr Key, who is the minister responsible for the GCSB, says he has had 15 meetings with the agency this year but the surveillance apparently wasn't mentioned at any of them because he wasn't aware of it until it came to him and confessed it had broken the law.

GCSB’s links with US questioned

Meanwhile Dotcom's lawyers want to know whether the United States was involved in the GCSB's illegal spying on the internet tycoon.

American lawyer Ira Rothken, who is working with Dotcom's defence team, says "all the details" of the Government Communications Security Bureau's surveillance must come out.

"We want to learn what happened, when it happened and what they acquired," he told TV One last night.

"As part of the inquiry, we're looking forward to learning whether or not the United States was involved."

Mr Rothken says it seems from Prime Minister John Key's statement on Monday that the GCSB was gathering information for the police raid on Dotcom's Auckland mansion on January 20.

Mr Key was asked on Wednesday whether the GCSB passed on any information to US authorities.

He said it was connected with the arrest of Dotcom and his associates, and had nothing to do with the extradition case.

The FBI wants to extradite Dotcom to face charges of internet piracy, with proceedings due to start in March.

NZN / 3 News

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Comments

6/10/2012 12:43:44 a.m.

In retrospect wrote:

Noting GCSB incompetency was almost supplanted by a story about Key in Hollywood. Oh how the Hollywood ruse back-fired.

3/10/2012 7:20:24 p.m.

Lauren M wrote:

I'm so sick of hearing about Dotcom and John Key. Do you really expect your Prime Minister to just remember a whole bunch of random dates?? He's running a COUNTRY (full of news reporters with nothing better to do). Get a grip, no one but you cares!

3/10/2012 10:42:49 a.m.

Ken wrote:

Karen Whittaker and Ray Shall we all ask John Key to tell us the truth? There is nothing worse that appearing not to be telling the truth We are talking about the PM after all and should expect the highest ethical standards. That is called integrity. He appears to be ever diminishing on that account. If this was the UK he would have been on his bike a long time ago. It was HIS department after all and he should be fully informed about what is going on. That is a different matter from be involved in the implementation of the work of the department...but he is supposed to be the ensuring all the performance measures and indicators and achieved and met...otherwise they will not justify their funding...that's how large organizations operate these days...including all the government departments and agencies...PERFORMANCE MEASURES! What has the State Services Commission got to say about the matter..? Yes, Ray I agree I'm getting a little tired of the Dotcom name but not with seeking the truth! Kiwis are up-front people and that is not a characteristic of Mr Key He's lost some /a lot? of National Party support , including this household. Let's see when the next political opinion poll is released. And more in our neck of the woods.

1/10/2012 12:13:41 p.m.

Gary wrote:

Ray, this is about the health and wellbeing of average people. Do you think a corrupt puppet led government will give you those things??

28/09/2012 11:13:49 p.m.

Ray wrote:

why are we giving this man so much exposure.Is it because he is rich or isit because he is manipulating our media.
Who cares about him and his dodgy buisness activities.
Lets get on with something more meaningful like health and wellbeing of avrage people in this country not some hot shot thats been here for 5 minutes

28/09/2012 7:19:46 a.m.

Karen Whittaker wrote:

Don't bring David Shearer on to waste our time with his bleating about the Prime Minister, give us information about the case.

27/09/2012 11:55:48 p.m.

Morgan wrote:

@ Robert M having been on the sharp end of your so called intelligence, I have to tell you mate, that communists are never the reason. Seems to be US corporate interests and resourse asset protection every time or at least over the past twenty years. You must clearly empty the bins or perhaps a papershreder operator, judging by your post but then again its so obserd I doubt you have any idea at all.

27/09/2012 11:19:07 p.m.

Isaac wrote:

Seems typical that an organisation that probably had some perceived relevance when the public was fooled into beleiving communist plots, terrorists in your neigbourhood or the imminent threat of a foreign submarine threatening our export of milk powder to china is now taking on contract work hunting down video pirates for the FBI. Shame on the government for even giving them a budget to waste.

27/09/2012 10:19:55 p.m.

Gary wrote:

Key and English MUST GO. Lets get NZ back to being NZ and not the 51st state of US

27/09/2012 10:14:23 p.m.

Alex wrote:

Didn't a minister have to sign off on Kim Dotcom's resident status?