In the latest developments in the copyright infringement case against the popular Megaupload. com file-sharing website, the site's German founder Kim Dotcom, 38, has been denied bail by a New Zealand judge; and it has been confirmed by an unnamed US official that a fifth suspect has been arrested in the Netherlands.

In the wake of the pending February 22 hearing on Dotcom's likely extradition for facing a trial in the US, Judge David McNaughton, in Auckland, denied bail to Dotcom saying that he poses a significant flight risk. Judge McNaughton ordered that Dotcom - the founder of Megaupload. com site which has netted $175 million since 2005 from pirated content - should be held in custody for one more month.

Noting that there are chances that Dotcom - who had passports and bulging bank accounts in three names - can try to flee New Zealand, Judge McNaughton said: "With sufficient determination and financial resources, flight risk remains a real and significant possibility which I cannot discount and bail is declined."

Meanwhile, McNaughton's bail rulings on the other three Megaupload employees, who were arrested by the New Zealand police last week, will likely be made by late this week or early next week.

In a separate development, a US Justice Department official revealed on the condition of anonymity that a fifth suspect - 32-year-old Estonia citizen Andrus Nomm, who is a resident of both Estonia and Turkey - in the Megaupload case, has been arrested by the Dutch police.