Love, life and court for Kim
Six years of stress are taking a toll on Dotcom’s health, says internet mogul.
Kim Dotcom has spoken of his “fairytale” wedding day — but revealed poor health has forced him and his new wife to delay their planned move to Queenstown.
And one week after getting married — and announcing his lawyers are serving a “multibilliondollar damages claim” against the Government — the entrepreneur says the police raid on the Coatesville mansion made him feel he was being treated like Osama bin Laden.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald on Sunday, Dotcom revealed his doctor advised him to stay in Auckland, dashing the couple’s plans to set up base in Queenstown.
Their house there is being used by Dotcom’s first wife, Mona, and their children.
“My health isn’t the best after six years of stress,” Dotcom said.
“My doctor recommended that I stay close to Auckland. But my kids are coming to see me during holidays and weekends. They love it in Queenstown and I wanted them to make the best childhood memories there. It really is paradise on earth.”
Kim, 44, and Elizabeth, 22, married last Saturday, the sixth anniversary of the raid on the Coatesville mansion he was living in. The pair have been together two years.
Dotcom said their wedding was “very simple”, in a private setting and attended by “a handful” of people.
“It was a teary ceremony because of our happiness,” he said.
“Certainly a day we will never forget. There was a vanilla cream cake with stardust from the Andromeda belt sprinkled all over it.”
Dotcom had “goosebumps” when he saw his bride arrive “in that amazing dress, with her beautiful hair and that Roman tiara”. “Liz is such a beauty and that whole wedding look was like out of a fairytale.”
He said it felt good to “be with someone who really loves you and who wants to be with you no matter what”.
“We laugh all the time and we both have a cuddle addiction. Despite my challenges I have been the happiest I’ve been with her.”
The pair turned the anniversary of the 2012 raid of Dotcom’s Coatesville mansion into a “day of joy”.
Dotcom and three others were arrested on behalf of the FBI, which was carrying out a worldwide operation targeting his file-sharing business Megaupload, which at the time consumed 4 per cent of the globe’s internet traffic. Dotcom was facing claims of criminal copyright violation, later found not to be a crime here. US officials are still trying to extradite him to face trial there.
“What the United States considers to be a crime simply isn’t a crime here,” Dotcom said on Friday.
“So the extradition must fail and the whole military style raid was unlawful. They terrorised my family and arrested me like I’m Osama bin Laden for nothing more than a civil copyright claim.”
Dotcom said he received plenty of support via social media for his damages claim over the past week. The Government last weekend said it wouldn’t comment on the claim.
He said he was “a bit surprised” about the support after his “failed attempt to change the Government in 2014”, which included the creation of the Internet Party and claims of wrongdoing against the National Government, which he said “wasn’t appreciated by most New Zealanders”.
“But it seems like that’s in the past and Jacinda [Ardern] has done a great job winning the 2017 election,” he said.
“I’m happy for New Zealand’s future and anything that would come from my damages claim would go towards good causes in New Zealand. I’m also open to come to a reasonable settlement with the new Government.
“I’m sure the taxpayers would welcome a less costly and peaceful resolution of the matter, after six years of unnecessary drama.”
Dotcom and his former wife late last year accepted a confidential settlement from police over the raid, after Dotcom sought a damages claim in the High Court over alleged “unreasonable force”.
As well as seeking damages from the Government, Dotcom said he planned to take legal action against Hollywood studios over the lengthy legal wrangle which has now dragged on for six years.
Dotcom added he wanted to ensure New Zealand stayed home for him and his family.
“My kids are Kiwi. My wife is a Kiwi. And hopefully one day I’ll be granted New Zealand citizenship to join the rest of the family and all my fellow Kiwis in happy Kiwidom.”
“We laugh all the time and we both have a cuddle addiction.”
Kim Dotcom