This shouldn't come as a surprise. Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was deemed a flight risk and denied bail on Wedenesday, which means he'll have to spend the next four weeks in a New Zealand jail. Seeing that the "Dotcom is too big and fat to pass through customs" excuse wasn't convincing enough yesterday, Dotcom's lawyer Paul Davison opted for the "Dotcom is way too unhealthy to leave the country" argument today (citing Dotcom's slipped disc, diabetes and hypertension) to try and convince a New Zealand court to grant Dotcom bail. Regardless, the result was still the same, proving that when it comes to determining a flight risk, having a massive fortune, a history of fleeing charges trumps all. "With sufficient determination and financial resources, flight risk remains a real and significant possibility, which I cannot discount, and bail is declined," Judge David McNaughton is quoted as saying in a Guardian report. Dotcom will be kept in custody until his extradition hearing on February 22, at which he will face money laundering and piracy charges. 

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Alexander Abad-Santos