Dotcom’s poverty claims

The Herald reports:

Kim Dotcom sold shares in his new companies for about $20 million in 2013 to pay for his defence team and provide for his family, he has told a court.

Most people would love to have even $200,000 to pay for their defence team!

He told the court about setting up Mega Ltd with Ortmann and van der Kolk and music company Baboom in 2013, shares in which he sold for about $20 million.

Dotcom said the ventures were “born out of necessity” to pay for the drawn-out extradition battle and also to secure his family’s future with contributions to the family trust, the Trust Me Trust.

So he chose to put much of that money into a family trust, and now is claiming he has no money for his defence.

His ill-fated involvement in the Internet Party was also discussed.

Dotcom said he donated up to $4.8 million during its brief existence and Mr Ruffin asked why he had not put some of that money aside to pay for US legal experts he now claimed were vital to defending his case.

“If I had a crystal ball and I could see the future, in hindsight I could have done that,” Dotcom said.

“But at the time, for me, there was no reason to believe there wasn’t more unrestrained funds coming from my business ventures.”

He spent $5 million trying to buy the next Government, and again now says he can’t get a fair trial because he never thought the money taps would end.

Mr Ruffin also asked the defendant why he had not used money from living costs to pay for the experts he claimed he needed.

“If I wanted to be homeless and sack all my staff and kick my kids out of school I could’ve done that, yes,” Dotcom said.

His (lesased) home is worth $30 million and is one of the most expensive in NZ. Does he still have his 10 cars worth $3.2 million?

He gets $170,000 a month to cover his living expenses. Most people could manage on 10% of that. Then he could cover the $500,000 in just three months.

And most people don’t have domestic staff!