14 DAY TRIAL // With the MegaUpload case put on hold until August, when the extradition hearings take place, the assumption was that things would quiet down for a few months. That doesn't seem to be the case, as an error in the type of court order for Kim Dotcom's assets to be seized could have his belongings returned to him.
A court declared the initial order null and void after the prosecution admitted to asking for the wrong type of court order.
The authorities asked for an order that would not have enabled Dotcom to appear before a court prior to the seizure, a foreign restraining order rather than an interim restraining order.
The court declared this a procedural error and will rule whether this means that Dotcom's assets will be returned. After the error was realized, the police commissioner applied for a new court order in which he retroactively listed all of the assets that were already seized.
This order has now been granted, temporarily, but the court will decide this week whether the error is enough to return all of the goods seized, the money, the cars and so on.
In order for the court to rule that though, Dotcom's lawyers would have to show that the initial request was made in bad faith which they'll probably have a hard time doing.
MegaUpload was raided and shutdown early this year. At the same time, most MegaUpload employees including founder Kim Dotcom were arrested for charges relating to criminal copyright infringement, racketeering and so on. Dotcom, which resides in New Zealand, is awaiting extradition to the US.
In the meantime, all of the company's assets as well as his personal ones were seized by authorities. The haul was particularly impressive, a couple of dozen cars were seized from Dotcom alone.