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pirates” quote, which had by then gone around the world. Dotcom says he rounded on his colleague: “That’s so stupid. Why would you do that? They are going to use that as bad optics to make us look like pirates.” Van der Kolk told Dotcom it was a joke, made after watching the Pirates of the Silicon Valley movie. There were emails in the indictment which created tensions, once revealed for all to see. One Skype chat from August 2007 caused friction — it had been produced by the FBI for use opposing the original bail application.

Dotcom says it reflected a time when the business was under pressure from changes in the online world. Income through advertising was under threat, leading to speculation the business might be dissolved, leaving each to go their own way.

But the US said it showed Dotcom’s inclination to try to escape custody. The content again had the group confronting tensions — past, imagined or real — in prison.

Van der Kolk: I mean if Kim was a solid guy with a good financial background and being safe with his money I wouldn’t mind, but the current situation is a bit risky in my opinion.
Ortmann: The good thing is he is operationally dependant on us . . . he cannot sneak away with the money.
Van der Kolk: But what if the shit really hits the fan . . . would he grab the last bit of money and take off . . . he’s good at that.
Ortmann: True but with his spending nowadays he will attempt to get the shit off the fan and that’s what he needs us for.
Dotcom told van der Kolk he wasn’t going anywhere and asked: “Don’t you know me by now? I’ve always paid the dividends, I don’t owe you anything. Why would you even say stuff like that?”

THE DAY AFTER the raid, the mansion was deserted. The heat of summer had blasted moisture from the air and it was only the lack of wind which kept down the dust on the limestone drive. The gatehouse at Dotcom Mansion was still manned, with the guard carrying none of the confidence and surety he had enjoyed before the police raid. Wait here, he said, and the gates stayed shut. Time passed, five minutes, and the straight-backed, bald-headed figure of Wayne Tempero could be

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