Dotcom's wife granted $20,000 to cover next three weeks

UPDATE 5.30pm: In an interim decision just made at Auckland HIgh Court, Kim Dotcom's wife Mona Dotcom has been granted access to $20,000 in frozen funds to cover her living expenses for the next three weeks.

Another $12,650 will be released to cover her medical expenses and she will be allowed to drive their 2010 Toyota Vellfire -- a people-mover type vehicle estimated to be worth $75,000. The Dotcom's would have preferred their Mercedes G-Wagon to have been made available. 

Justice Judith Potter also granted the release of $74,000 from a trust account to be pay creditors of  Mr Dotcom's Megastuff company, owed $550,000. The money was to be released on the condition it was paid into a trust account of law firm Simpson Grierson.

Mr Dotcom's lawyer William Akel  told the court there would be a shortfall to creditors as the  $74,000 in bank accounts restrained by the Crown was all the money the company had.

Another defendant, Bram van der Kolk, has been granted access to $10,000 from money held by the Official Assignee to live off until March 21, which is when today's application for regulation of foreign restraining orders has been adjourned to.  He is also allowed to drive a 2005 Mercedes Benz.

UPDATE 3.15pm: Kim Dotcom wants $74,000 to be released from frozen bank accounts so some of his creditors can be paid.

LATEST: Dotcom stays free

His lawyer William Akel has just told Auckland High Court his company the $74,000 in bank accounts restrained by the Crown is all the company has got.

Creditors are owed $550,000.

Crown lawyer Anne Toohey, acting for the US government, said orders needed to be sought from the US before that was agreed to.

Other expenses listed by Kim Dotcom and his wife Mona's lawyers today, as the pair seek to unfreeze assets for living costs, included

• Living expenditure - $28,000/month
• Security costs - $24,000/month (four bodyguards)
• Staff costs - $29,000/month (Ms Toohey said "This seems to include nannies, a butler and Mrs Dotcom's personal assistant")
• $1000 a month to cover cellphone bills
• $6500 a month for a private tutor for their 4-year-old child. 
• Annual rent for the former Chrisco mansion was $1 million
• Mrs Dotcom also sought to have an additional $600,000 released for "maintenance costs" for the property, Ms Toohey said

UPDATE 12.15pm: Crown lawyer Anne Toohey, acting for the US government, said Mr Dotcom had invested $6.5 million in renovating the former Chrisco mansion.

She said Mr Dotcom claimed if he were unable to pay rent, his option to buy the property would lapse and he would suffer a loss on his investment.

Ms Toohey said Mr Dotcom planned to buy the mansion for $30 million in September when he gained ordinary citizenship and did not require Overseas Investment Approval.

Ms Toohey questioned how Mr Dotcom was able to pay a $250,000 rental bill for the property on February 14, despite being arrested and freezing orders placed across his assets in January.

Ms Toohey opposed many claimed items in the $222,000 monthly living costs budget the Dotcom's were seeking to have released from freezing orders.

Mr and Mrs Dotcom were seeking $1,000 per month to cover cellphone bills, but Ms Toohey said Mr Dotcom's bail conditions banned his use of smartphones and the figure was unrealistic.

$6500 per month was also sought by the Dotcom's to pay for a private tutor for one of their 4-year-old child. Ms Toohey suggested since Mona Dotcom was not working, she would be able to take over some childcare responsibilities.

Ms Toohey said it was unreasonable that Dotcom required six domestic staff.

The hearing continues.

The heavily pregnant wife of alleged internet pirate Kim Dotcom is seeking to have assets released.

This morning the Auckland High Court heard application from Mrs Dotcom to vary wide-ranging and international freezing order placed across his Megupload businesses.

Crown Law prosecutor Anne Toohey, acting for the US government, said discussions earlier this month concerned the possible release of $10,000 from a frozen account held with Rabobank to met living costs.

Ms Toohey said more recent affidavits filed with the courts indicated Mr and Mrs Dotcom's living costs appeared to "have grown 20-fold" and were now calculated at $222,000 per month.

Ms Toohey sought guidance from the Court as to what amounted to reasonable living costs.

More details of Kim Dotcom's living expenses emerged during the hearing, relayed to the court by Anne Toohey. 

In a separate High Court hearing, Justice Tim Brewster is due to rule on Crown's appeal against Kim Dotcom's bail at 4.30pm today.