Kim Dotcom granted respite in long-running battle to avoid extradition to the US

The internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has been granted a respite in his long-running battle to avoid extradition to the US.

Today, New Zealand's Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing for judicial review of the lower court’s decision that Dotcom can be deported.

For the past eight years, US law enforcement has been trying to get Dotcom and three co-accused back to face charges of copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering in relation to his now defunct file sharing company Megaupload.

The High Court and Court of Appeal have upheld the District Court’s decision that Dotcom is liable for extradition to the US.

But today the Supreme Court allowed Dotcom’s appeal for judicial review of the procedures and processes used in the lower court’s decision making.

If Dotcom is unsuccessful in judicial review proceedings, then he will still be liable for extradition on all counts except for money laundering.

Once a court has established a person can be extradited, the final decision on whether they are deported rests with the Justice Minister.

The Dotcom defence team called the ruling "a mixed bag" for Dotcom and his family.

"There is no final determination that he is to go to the United States. However, the Court has not accepted our important copyright argument and, in our view, has made significant determinations that will have an immediate and chilling impact on the internet."