Labour has attacked the Government's immigration policy after newly released documents revealed why Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was granted residency.
In Dotcom's application he admitted two convictions in Germany for insider trading and breach of trust and after he was awarded residency he was convicted of eight minor charges in Hong Kong for breaching share trading regulations.
However, the papers show Dotcom promised to buy $10 million of Government bonds, buy $36 million worth of property and attract other wealthy investors to New Zealand if granted residency.
Labour's immigration spokesperson Darien Fenton said it was worrying that officials made a special case for Dotcom, despite his criminal background.
"It is extremely concerning that we are seeing a Government that's prepared to set aside rules so that people can buy their way into New Zealand," she said.
Immigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant residency, saying Dotcom's character issues were outweighed by the benefit of his financial investments in New Zealand.
"At the end of the day these high net worth individuals also bring in connections around the world and they also bring a lot of jobs into our economy," Immigration Minister Nathan Guy said.
"What these documents show is that officials thoroughly weighed up the potential economic benefits for New Zealand versus any perceived risks."
Dotcom, a German national, applied for residency under the Investor Plus category, after investing $10 million in Government bonds.
Acting chief executive Steve Stuart says there has been considerable scrutiny of the decision but he has complete faith in the work his staff does.
Criminal convictions
In December 2010, Dotcom was facing eight charges relating to the purchase of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, just a month after he had been granted residency in New Zealand.
Dotcom's lawyer told immigration officials the offence involved a technical breach of Hong Kong regulations and was relatively minor. It was advised a month later that Dotcom had been convicted on the charges and fined $HK8000 (NZ$1250).
Dotcom had also declared two previous convictions in Germany on his residence application- two year suspended sentence for computer hacking in 1994 and another suspended sentence and 100,000 euro fine for insider training in 2001.
However, these convictions were wiped under Germany's clean slate legislation.
The documents show that under the Immigration Act, because of his convictions, the default position is that Dotcom would not have been eligible for residency.
However, this position can be overridden by a special direction from a senior official, which is what happened in Dotcom's case.
Stuart said all factors were taken into account before residence was granted.
The 38-year-old founder of file-sharing website Megaupload was granted New Zealand residency in November 2010.
Dotcom is currently on bail awaiting an extradition hearing. He is facing a number of internet piracy charges in the US in relation to the Megaupload site.
He was arrested on January 20 after a spectacular police raid on his $30 million rented mansion in Coatesville, north of Auckland.
The Department has released its file on Dotcom's application for residency under the Official Information Act.
Thank You Source : Please check Video _ http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/labour-claims-dotcom-bought-his-way-into-nz-4768875
In Dotcom's application he admitted two convictions in Germany for insider trading and breach of trust and after he was awarded residency he was convicted of eight minor charges in Hong Kong for breaching share trading regulations.
However, the papers show Dotcom promised to buy $10 million of Government bonds, buy $36 million worth of property and attract other wealthy investors to New Zealand if granted residency.
Labour's immigration spokesperson Darien Fenton said it was worrying that officials made a special case for Dotcom, despite his criminal background.
"It is extremely concerning that we are seeing a Government that's prepared to set aside rules so that people can buy their way into New Zealand," she said.
Immigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant residency, saying Dotcom's character issues were outweighed by the benefit of his financial investments in New Zealand.
"At the end of the day these high net worth individuals also bring in connections around the world and they also bring a lot of jobs into our economy," Immigration Minister Nathan Guy said.
"What these documents show is that officials thoroughly weighed up the potential economic benefits for New Zealand versus any perceived risks."
Dotcom, a German national, applied for residency under the Investor Plus category, after investing $10 million in Government bonds.
Acting chief executive Steve Stuart says there has been considerable scrutiny of the decision but he has complete faith in the work his staff does.
Criminal convictions
In December 2010, Dotcom was facing eight charges relating to the purchase of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, just a month after he had been granted residency in New Zealand.
Dotcom's lawyer told immigration officials the offence involved a technical breach of Hong Kong regulations and was relatively minor. It was advised a month later that Dotcom had been convicted on the charges and fined $HK8000 (NZ$1250).
Dotcom had also declared two previous convictions in Germany on his residence application- two year suspended sentence for computer hacking in 1994 and another suspended sentence and 100,000 euro fine for insider training in 2001.
However, these convictions were wiped under Germany's clean slate legislation.
The documents show that under the Immigration Act, because of his convictions, the default position is that Dotcom would not have been eligible for residency.
However, this position can be overridden by a special direction from a senior official, which is what happened in Dotcom's case.
Stuart said all factors were taken into account before residence was granted.
The 38-year-old founder of file-sharing website Megaupload was granted New Zealand residency in November 2010.
Dotcom is currently on bail awaiting an extradition hearing. He is facing a number of internet piracy charges in the US in relation to the Megaupload site.
He was arrested on January 20 after a spectacular police raid on his $30 million rented mansion in Coatesville, north of Auckland.
The Department has released its file on Dotcom's application for residency under the Official Information Act.
Thank You Source : Please check Video _ http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/labour-claims-dotcom-bought-his-way-into-nz-4768875
Posts
0 comments
Post a Comment