Are you ELIGIBLE to emigrate?
Need help with a VISA application?
Get expert help today from NZ visa specialists: The Emigration Group...
Dotcom unable to reveal conviction when applying for New Zealand residency
Official documents have revealed that Mega Upload founder Kim Dotcom was unable to reveal a pending court case against him in Hong Kong when applying for residency in New Zealand. The German millionaire was prevented by Hong Kong law from telling Immigration New Zealand about the charges, but was allowed to stay after finally convicted a month later as officials deemed the share trading crimes to be minor.
However, in July last year, Dotcom’s application to purchase millions of dollars worth of property was blocked by the then associate finance minister Simon Power, who said the businessman’s history of insider trading and hacking meant he was untrustworthy. Power said Dotcom failed to meet the good character requirement as the offences were essentially dishonest.
According to Dotcom, he first became aware that he could have committed crimes in Hong Kong in November 2011 and voluntarily handed himself into authorities a month later. He lodged an application for residency in New Zealand in June 2012, two weeks before Hong Kong police announced that he was officially under investigation.
The file sharing website founder was told by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission that he must not disclose anything about the investigation and that it would be a criminal offence not to comply with the confidentiality rule. He was however allowed to tell Immigration NZ about the offence once he was convicted.
David Cooper, Dotcom’s immigration agent, said that his client was a resident of Hong Kong at the time and obliged to comply with the country’s law. He added that New Zealand had overreacted by deporting Dotcom from the country, claiming that the fact that he put himself forward in Hong Kong was an indication of his client’s reformed character.
However, in July last year, Dotcom’s application to purchase millions of dollars worth of property was blocked by the then associate finance minister Simon Power, who said the businessman’s history of insider trading and hacking meant he was untrustworthy. Power said Dotcom failed to meet the good character requirement as the offences were essentially dishonest.
According to Dotcom, he first became aware that he could have committed crimes in Hong Kong in November 2011 and voluntarily handed himself into authorities a month later. He lodged an application for residency in New Zealand in June 2012, two weeks before Hong Kong police announced that he was officially under investigation.
The file sharing website founder was told by Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission that he must not disclose anything about the investigation and that it would be a criminal offence not to comply with the confidentiality rule. He was however allowed to tell Immigration NZ about the offence once he was convicted.
David Cooper, Dotcom’s immigration agent, said that his client was a resident of Hong Kong at the time and obliged to comply with the country’s law. He added that New Zealand had overreacted by deporting Dotcom from the country, claiming that the fact that he put himself forward in Hong Kong was an indication of his client’s reformed character.
The NZD exchange rates on 11/04/2012 were as follows: GBP NZD = 1.943, EUR NZD = 1.601, USD NZD = 1.2206, AUD NZD = 1.2578, CHF NZD = 1.3306, INR NZD = 0.0237, AED NZD = 0.3326, MXN NZD = 0.0927, CAD NZD = 1.2166, ZAR NZD = 0.1529, RUB NZD = 0.0412, . See today's New Zealand Dollar Exchange Rate