New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologized to millionaire Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom after the country’s spy agency unlawfully monitored him, leading to his arrest.
The Government Communications and Security Bureau (GCSB) made “basic errors,” said Key, who was “appalled” that such errors were made, reported the New Zealand Herald.
“Of course I apologize to Mr. Dotcom, and I apologize to New Zealanders,” he said.
Dotcom’s rented New Zealand mansion was raided by law enforcement at the request of the FBI in January and the Megaupload website was taken down soon after.
“My own view is the agency has let itself down very badly,” Key said, according to TVNZ. “It essentially failed at the most basic of hurdles; there are a number of times when it could have resolved the issue, and in fact New Zealanders were entitled to believe the agency would have performed a lot better.”
The GCSB was told by police that Dotcom was a foreign national, meaning that he could be investigated by the spy agency. Dotcom was born Kim Schmitz in Germany, but he obtained resident status in New Zealand in 2010. Therefore, the GCSB had no jurisdiction to spy on him, according to Key.
Via his Twitter account, Dotcom told Key: “I accept your apology. Show your sincerity by supporting a full, transparent & independent inquiry into the entire Mega case.”
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