After Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States earlier this month, the world’s largest democracy confirmed a big win over Kamala Harris and a second term in the White House for the Republican.
Over in New Zealand, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom had spent much of November 5/6 posting to his account on X. Despite never having set foot in the United States, the outcome of the election had become increasingly important.
A Trump win would not only represent defeat for Dotcom nemesis Joe Biden, but also a slither of hope that his extradition to the United States wouldn’t necessarily be seen as a foregone conclusion by the Republicans.
As Dotcom became increasingly confident of a Trump win and excitement continued to build, in his own inimitable style, Dotcom decided to call it.
In the hours that followed, Dotcom celebrated Trump’s win, the rising value of Bitcoin, Biden’s demise, the apparent forthcoming demise of leaders in Europe. Only then did he sign off.
After that November 6 post, Dotcom’s account fell silent for the next three weeks.
Kim Dotcom Suffers “Serious Stroke”
On Monday, a post made in Dotcom’s name but most likely not by him personally, revealed that Dotcom had been hospitalized.
“UPDATE: I am recovering from a serious stroke. I have the best health professionals helping me to make a recovery. I will be back as soon as I can. Please be patient and pray for my family and I,” it reads.
According to NZ Herald, Dotcom suffered a stroke on November 7 and was taken to a local hospital. From there he was rushed to Dunedin Hospital for urgent treatment and remained there for more than two weeks. He’s now said to have been moved to a different hospital where his rehabilitation will continue.
Dotcom’s lawyer Ron Mansfield KC predicted that Dotcom is likely to remain in hospital for some time.
“It’s been very serious and we honestly did not know whether he would survive or what that looks like and we still don’t,” Mansfield told NZ Herald.
“Very little is known by us. We’re waiting for reports to come through, but we’re just taking everything day by day at the moment.”
Dotcom’s US Lawyer Confirms News, Declines to Elaborate
When reached by Newsweek, Dotcom’s US lawyer, Ira Rothken, confirmed the accuracy of the statement posted to X but declined to provide additional information. Rothken wouldn’t or couldn’t say whether Dotcom himself published the statement but during the last few hours, the question was answered by Dotcom’s New Zealand lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC.
“Kim’s health prevents him from communicating effectively,” Mansfield said. “Liz, his wife, is with him and she released the tweet.”
Mansfield said that further recovery “is likely” but what recovery will look like is currently unknown.
“Obviously we’re shocked by what’s happened. Hence why the legal team, but more importantly his young family, have been dealing with the health issues before we made it public,” Mansfield added.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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