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You would think that the New Zealand government believes in giving people a second chance.” Pointless, too, he said. A year after Power’s rejection the law would allow him to buy the mansion anyway.

Power, who left politics in November 2011, has never spoken about why he rejected the application to buy the mansion. But it was significant enough for Power’s office to phone the detail through to Phil de Joux, the Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff.

Prime Minister John Key later said the mansion purchase might have failed the “sniff test”, raising questions in hindsight over how well informed Power’s “sniff” was.

Both Power and Williamson were aware of the FBI interest in Dotcom. Knowledge of the FBI inquiry had widened considerably from the select few who knew of it during the residency application process in October 2010. The SIS told Immigration, which in turn told the Police and the Overseas Investment Office. Immigration staff were also highly likely to have told Minister of Immigration Jonathan Coleman when they briefed him in February 2011 after it emerged Dotcom was facing the minor share-trading violations in Hong Kong over his electric cigarette investment. Meanwhile, the police had received a formal notification from the FBI in March. Knowledge was growing.

The briefing from Immigration NZ to the Overseas Investment Office was thin — the OIO officials told Williamson and Power the information was “vague”. Ministers were told: “There is no suggestion that Mr Dotcom has personally dealt in pirated digital content. The claim was a general comment made to Immigration New Zealand’s intelligence unit. Immigration NZ did not disclose whether or not the person who made the claim was from the FBI or whether or not that person had first-hand knowledge of the alleged FBI interest.

It is also possible Power learned the FBI’s interest was not “vague”. His position in Cabinet meant much of the work of government flowed across his desk. Also, Power’s role as Minister of Justice was critical to the extradition process. Dotcom could not be extradited without the Minister of Justice’s signature on the extradition document.

The document would come from the Crown Law Office. Two days before Power declined the application to purchase the mansion, the Crown Law Office opened the first formal file for helping the US government extradite Kim Dotcom.

THE DOTCOM FAMILY came back to New Zealand in September/October 2011. The return to Coatesville and the mansion brought more