The MegaUpload court case, which has already taken a number of unexpected turns, has experienced yet another twist. One of the judges in New Zealand presiding in the case, Judge David Harvey, has now stepped down after remarks suggesting he felt the US was the "enemy" were made public earlier this week.
The New Zealand Herald reports that Judge Harvey made the decision to leave the case after he stated that "we have met the enemy and he is [the] U.S." earlier this week at a conference about Internet copyright law. Harvey was referring to a ongoing discussion between New Zealand and the US over a trade agreement where better online copyright protection is one of the topics.
Harvey was supposed to preside over the extradition hearing of the founder of MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom, in March 2013. Some legal experts believe that Harvey"s statements were not appropriate in this context.
In a statement, New Zealand"s district court"s chief judge, Jan-Marie Doogue, said, "He recognizes that remarks made in the context of a paper he delivered on copyright law at a recent internet conference could reflect on his impartiality and that the appropriate response is for him to step down from the case."
Kim Dotcom"s extradition case will now be heard by Judge Nevin Dawson, who previously ruled to give Dotcom bail in the case earlier in 2012.
Source: New Zealand Herald