Kim Dotcom denies saying he is 'evil'

Kim Dotcom, the man behind file-sharing site Megaupload, has denied telling investigators he is evil as he fights extradition to the US.

The German-born entrepreneur has previously made statements to investigators in his native language, in which US law-enforcement agencies say he said: "At some point, a judge will be convinced how evil we are, and then we are in trouble."

The quote has appeared in scores of news reports around the world and used by the FBI to build a case of intentional copyright infringement against him.

But Dotcom's legal team told a court in New Zealand that it was an incorrect translation, and that he had in fact said: "At some stage a judge will be talked into how bad we allegedly are, and then we will be a mess."

The extradition hearing has been ongoing for more than a month.

Dotcom is accused of facilitating piracy of film and music to the tune of more than $500m (£322m) and also faces racketeering and money laundering charges.

The entrepreneur has been locked in a three-year legal battle since armed police with helicopters raided his New Zealand mansion in 2012.

A bizarre moment occurred in court on Monday when a video advert for Megaupload website was played on big screens, showing celebrities include Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, Floyd Mayweather and Dotcom himself - singing and encouraging people to "upload today".

The defence claimed it showed that Megaupload was a legitimate business.

But judge Nevin Dawson ordered the video be stopped halfway through and questioned why it had been played.

Dotcom's legal team argues that the site was used to share legitimate files - and that he should not be held responsible for those who abused the service.

It is claimed Megaupload and Dotcom raked in $175m (£112m) from the site’s users.

The fate of three other Megaupload bosses - Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato - will also be decided at the hearing.

Lawyers do not need to prove they are guilty, only that they have a case to answer in the US.