Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom insists pressure to grant him permanent residency in 2010 came from the United States government, Radio New Zealand reports.
Released documents show the Security Intelligence Service had the German national's residency bid on hold because of America's ongoing investigations into him, but lifted that in response to apparent political pressure to let him stay.
US authorities are trying to extradite Dotcom on copyright and money-laundering charges.
Dotcom told TVNZ on Tuesday political interference and pressure was applied to give him permanent residency so that he could more easily be extradited to the United States.
“I think my own mother could not have given me residency based on the rules that Immigration New Zealand has because the moment they were aware of a pending criminal investigation into me by the FBI their rules say that they have to put my residency application on hold.”
Immigration New Zealand says there was no Government involvement in granting Dotcom residency and the Government's interest in the business migration scheme may have been misconstrued.
"Security - it's worth doing and it's worth doing right'" reads an NZSIS email sign-off in the Dotcom papers. http://t.co/shdsetPXdW
— JeremyReesnz (@JeremyReesnz) July 15, 2014
