Dotcom wife tells of terror of arrests

Mona Dotcom. Photo / Richard Robinson
Mona Dotcom. Photo / Richard Robinson
The stress Mona Dotcom was under after the arrest and imprisonment of her internet tycoon husband has been starkly revealed in court documents backing his bid for bail.

"We have never before been apart for more than a day," she wrote in support of the bid to have Kim Dotcom freed from jail.

It is the first time Mona Dotcom - who is due to give birth to twins this month - has been heard from since police raided their house.

Their marriage has been credited by Kim Dotcom with bringing an end to his wilder days in which he courted publicity with ostentatious displays of fast cars and superyachts. Now, the billionaire describes himself as married father-of-three whose focus is on his wife and children, aged 19 months, 3 years and 4 years.

Mona Dotcom emerged from the couple's North Auckland home to support her husband during the court battle to keep him from being returned to jail.

The United States Government wanted him locked up until an extradition hearing in August after he was arrested on charges of copyright violation.

Before appearing at court, Manila-born Mona Dotcom wrote a heartfelt plea in support of the bail appeal.

She also revealed her distress at the raid by police armed with automatic weapons on January 20.

"It was very noisy and intimidating," said Mona Dotcom.

"Although I was obviously pregnant and still in nightclothes, the police told me to go outside and wait on the grass which was wet."

Court records show Mona Dotcom spent more than an hour waiting after the dawn raid began the family's nightmare. Along with staff, she was kept by armed police on a small grassed area outside the $30 million Coatesville mansion.

"They would not let me move. I asked several times to go inside to see the children but was not allowed."

She said she and others were allowed inside the mansion to a lounge where she could sit, still under armed police guard. It was another "20 or 30 minutes" before she could see the three children who were "all very frightened".

"The police searched the house with their guns, including where the children's rooms were. The nannies and the children are still nervous and upset after the events of that day."

Court records show Mona Dotcom's credit cards - issued through Megaupload accounts - were among those seized as part of US Department of Justice legal moves against the filesharing company.

"There is no money to pay the nannies and they will be leaving," she wrote.

Millionaire loan row not over yet

The battle of the millionaires is not over - property developer David Blackmore is still considering legal action over the loss of his exotic cars and number plates.

Blackmore is disputing the way Kim Dotcom called in a $1.25 million loan which led to his losing his cars and numberplates.

But Blackmore says he never received default notice. He says he paid back $250,000 of the loan.

Then, months later, a "fleet of tow trucks" arrived "without word of warning" at his parking garage and the cars were taken.

Blackmore said he was then thwarted at auction when he tried to buy back the numberplates.

The claim is rejected by Trade Me. Auction site spokesman Paul Ford said they picked up "shenanigans" involving Blackmore's account and he was barred from bidding on the plates. Problems included "bids from multiple accounts on several of these auctions", he said.

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