Big Victory for Dotcom:
The Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that the Attorney-General broke the law by withholding information from Kim Dotcom, which he says means his extradition case is “over”.
In July 2015, Mr Dotcom sent an urgent information privacy request to all 28 Ministers of the Crown as well as almost all Government departments, asking for personal information they had on him, including under his previous names.
Nearly all the requests were transferred to the Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, who declined Mr Dotcom’s requests on the grounds that they were “vexatious” and trivial.
The Solicitor-General also said Mr Dotcom had not provided sufficient reasons for urgency.
On Monday, the Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the Attorney-General unlawfully withheld information from Mr Dotcom, meaning he perverted the course of justice.
The Government and Ministers have been ordered to comply with the original requests and supply all relevant documents to Mr Dotcom.
Mr Dotcom was awarded damages for loss of benefit and loss of dignity.
In a series of celebratory tweets, Mr Dotcom claimed this decision meant his extradition case is “over”.
He has threatened former Prime Minister Sir John Key with legal action, and said he will see everyone involved in the so-called “Mega Conspiracy” in court.
He has also called for the immediate resignation of the Privacy Commissioner.
In a separate tweet, Mr Dotcom challenged Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to intervene in the case.
The German entrepreneur is facing extradition to the United States to face charges of criminal copyright violation.
