Kim Dotcom, co-founder of Megaupload , a now defunct file-sharing website, was denied bail for the second time by the High Court in Auckland, New Zealand.
Dotcom was denied bail because the prosecutors–and the court–believed that should he be granted bail, he would attempt to flee New Zealand, where he’s being held until his extradition hearing, which is scheduled to take place on February 22.
According to a report by the BBC , prosecutors alleged that Dotcom posed “an extreme flight risk”. Prosecutors noted that Dotcom has multiple passports and bank accounts in three different names, and that he allegedly has a history of fleeing criminal charges.
“The judge correctly concluded that the risk of flight cannot be mitigated by the imposition of conditions, including electronic monitoring,” said prosecutor Anne Toohey.
At the hearing, Dotcom insisted that he had no intentions of fleeing New Zealand–rather, he was seeking bail so that he could be with his wife and kids. Additionally, Dotcom wanted to retrieve money seized by authorities last month.
U.S. authorities allege that Dotcom–also known as Kim Schmitz–knowingly profited from the trafficking of illegal, copyrighted content.
