14 Oct 2015

No grounds for Dotcom hearing delay, says Crown

1:33 pm on 14 October 2015

Kim Dotcom's arguments for putting off his extradition hearing are defences that should be raised at his trial, says the Crown.

Kim Dotcom in court in Auckland as the main extradition hearing begins on 24 September 2015.

Kim Dotcom in court in Auckland as the main extradition hearing begins. Photo: RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson

A hearing has resumed today to decide whether Mr Dotcom and three other men should be sent to the United States to face copyright violation, money-laundering and racketeering charges.

The FBI claims their website, Megaupload, was committing copyright infringement on a mass scale.

The men have asked the North Shore District Court to delay or even halt the proceedings, saying the US has prevented them from hiring expert witnesses they needed to defend the extradition attempt.

But Crown lawyer Christine Gordon, who is representing the US, said the court only needed to be satisfied there was a case against the men on the face of it.

Ms Gordon said the evidence expert witnesses could provide was relevant to a trial, but not the extradition hearing.

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