Kim Dotcom and the Govt Minister who said 'NO'

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Kim Dotcom and the Govt Minister who said 'NO'

3News NZ

The Dotcom Mansion (Reuters)

The Dotcom Mansion (Reuters)

By Patrick Gower

3 News has obtained over 2000 pages of Government documents relating to Kim Dotcom's successful residency application and failed attempt to get Overseas Investment Office approval to buy the Dotcom Mansion.

The documents show a series of officials and ministers impressed by Dotcom's proposed benefits to New Zealand - except for one.

Watch the full Campbell Live interview with Kim Dotcom

REVEALED: the Kim Dotcom files

The documents reveal that Dotcom admitted to three convictions for hacking and financial crime, and being blacklisted from Thailand, but immigration officials thought him living here was in the national interest - and so did the then immigration minister, Jonathan Coleman.

“I think the officials did their very best and made the right decision on the available facts at the time,” says Mr Coleman.

Mr Coleman designed the investor plus category which grants residency to those who buy $10 million of Government bonds - like Dotcom.

But Winston Peters says the category should not exist.

“Any Tom, Dick or Harry, or in this case, Kim, can get in no matter what their record or reputation is – and they can do it for money,” says Mr Peters.

The documents also show Dotcom letting the neighbours piggy back off the powerful broadband rolled out to the mansion was viewed as an "enhanced service for New Zealand" with "the benefit to those neighbours significant, given they do not have access to a fibre optic cable."

This too, is something Mr Peters disagrees with.

“That’s a separate industry that the Government claims to be looking at. Now we’ve got some shonky guy out of Germany providing the service,” says Mr Peters.

The Overseas Investment Office approved the mansion sale and Minister Maurice Williamson ticked it off, but the documents show that was overturned by former Associate Finance Minister Simon Power who found:"... the character or judgement of Mr Dotcom is in question" and was concerned he may "... act inappropriately and bring this country into disrepute."

Something Mr Peters says is what ended up happening.

“That’s exactly what he did – he’s brought us into disrepute,” says Mr Peters.

So Dotcom managed to get past two government agencies and two ministers before one man stood in his way - Simon Power.

And Dotcom really does not like him, sulking by cancelling an annual fireworks display for Auckland - and blaming it all on Power.

3 News

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Comments

24/06/2012 7:20:32 a.m.

dennis wrote:

So what is this term "mega-conspiracy"? It's not really in legal dictionaries in the US is it? Isn't it a term dreamed-up by a prosecutor just to make complete jack-asses of the New Zealand "authorities"?

22/03/2012 10:09:11 p.m.

KiwiKid wrote:

@Terry Atkinson: No Terry you're wrong. One is "presumed" innocent until proven guilty. The reality is, one is in fact either guilty or not guilty. But there is is a presumption in the legal system that one is innocent until proven in a court of law that they are in fact guilty. A subtle but very real difference.

14/03/2012 10:40:44 a.m.

Huang wrote:

Hurrah for Simon Power! Which is why he is highly regarded. NZ can lessened the damage to our reputation by sending Dotcom packing anywhere!

13/03/2012 5:02:59 p.m.

Chargone wrote:

feh, Kim Dotcom's hardly bringing NZ into disrepute. if anything this rubbish is further destroying the US government's credibility. the only way this will bring NZ into disrepute is if our system is broken enough to actually go along with it. not that i'm a huge fan of the setup that let him into the country in the first place, mind you, but that's a different issue.

12/03/2012 5:40:02 p.m.

nigel wrote:

Kim Dotcom is in good company; Chief Justice of New Zealand Dame Sian Elias was less than impressed with Simon Power, publically reprimanding him over his attempts to reform the criminal justice system.

11/03/2012 10:43:18 a.m.

Dear Sam and his friends: wrote:

the whole immigration service is a revenue raising agency for the government, and will always be if one looks at the heavy price tags of all sorts of visas. if winston doesn't think it's right for such a category to exist, the whole pailiament should resign. In any business there's conflict and mistakes, just look at the failed finance companies. This dotcom guy really never screwed anything apart from some beaurocracies which don't make sense.

10/03/2012 6:37:15 a.m.

Roland wrote:

I think it is time to leave this man alone the media are making fools of themselves as the police have already done. The so called crimes in Hong Kong attracted a fine of $1250? the equivalent of a speeding ticket surely.. Dotcom invested a huge amount of money into New Zealand and we should be grateful to him - Who is their right mind would give 30 seconds consideration to anything that Winston Peters has to say? Bring direspute? no Winston you are the master of that!

9/03/2012 11:42:41 p.m.

Siping wrote:

Yes, agreed. This is simply a political game, thousands of people come to NZ via the same "money trail." Its not like this guy is ripping of NZ Social Welfare, beating kids, dealing in drugs or porn, raping or killing. By comparrison, Take the case of the Chinese mother in Wellington accused of beating her daughter till she needed hospital treatment, yet seems to be getting of with a scolding because she claims such actions are acceptable here in China. I can tell you, they are NOT! She would be in prison if she was in China now, for quite a while.I thought beating a child was now a criminal offence in NZ o r is it just for some? Seems the law in NZ is now very flexible.

9/03/2012 10:08:02 p.m.

tanya wrote:

yeah....funnily enough the more they go on about this i'm actually starting to like the guy and am gunning for him to be cleared......

9/03/2012 7:39:54 p.m.

Terry Atkinson wrote:

Why are the comments by Winstone Peters et all making out that Kim Dotcom is guilty of the dastardly crimes as purported by the FBI. Last time I looked, here in NZ one was innocent until PROVEN guilty. Tall poppies, as always in NZ, must be hacked down to the lowest possible level by the look of it.