WELLINGTON, Sept. 15 -- New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Monday denied claims that he had acted at the behest of Hollywood movie moguls in granting residency to a convicted hacker and German Internet millionaire who is fighting extradition to the United States on copyright piracy and money-laundering charges.

Kim Dotcom, who was granted residency against the advice of intelligence officials in 2010, was arrested at his Auckland home in 2012 by New Zealand Police acting with the FBI, who claimed his Megaupload file-sharing business engaged in piracy.

Dotcom has long claimed Key's government conspired with Hollywood studios to grant him residency because it would have been easier for U.S. authorities to extradite him from New Zealand than from his previous home in Hong Kong although Key has always denied ever knowing about him until his arrest.

On Monday, Dotcom produced "evidence" to back his claim: an e- mail allegedly from Warner Bros chairman and chief executive Kevin Tsujihara to a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America, a lobby group for Hollywood studios, in October 2010.

The e-mail was allegedly written shortly after talks between Key and Tsujihara over Warner Bros plans to film "The Hobbit" movies in New Zealand.

The alleged email read "John Key told me in private that they are granting Dotcom residency despite pushback from officials about his criminal past. His AG (Attorney-General) will do everything in his power to assist us with our case."

Both parties in the e-mail told the New Zealand Herald newspaper on Monday that the e-mail was a "fake."

Key said in a statement Monday that he stood by his previous comments.

"The conversation allegedly reported on in the e-mail did not take place," Key said. "People will see this for what it is."

Dotcom, who organized a public meeting Monday featuring video links to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to discuss claims that New Zealand spy agencies are carrying out mass surveillance, declined to say how he came by the e-mail.

The Fairfax news organization reported that Dotcom's Canadian lawyer Bob Amsterdam said the e-mail had been referred to New Zealand Parliament speaker for an inquiry.

The main opposition Labour Party called on Key to release all minutes, notes, briefings and e-mails relating to his meetings with Warner Bros in New Zealand and in the United States.

"John Key must also order the release of the full Immigration New Zealand file on Kim Dotcom," Labour leader David Cunliffe said in a statement.

"Claims just days before that an Immigration official said there was 'political pressure' to process Kim Dotcom's immigration application must now also be cleared up."