Bank runaways still enjoying millions in China

Kara Hurring and her daughter Leena. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua's runaway millionaires continue to enjoy their ill-gotten fortune in Hong Kong and there is nothing New Zealand can do about it.

Leo Gao and Kara Hurring have proved crime pays after they skipped the country in May last year when Westpac mistakenly put $10 million into Mr Gao's account.

Mr Gao had asked for a $100,000 overdraft to shore up his ailing service station business in Rotorua. Westpac managed to recover all the money but $3.8 million.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper said today the inquiry was in a state of limbo with police unable to extradite the couple from China.

"We know roughly were they are, or at least one of them," he said. "But we can't get past this point."

Mr Loper said since there was no extradition treaty between China and New Zealand, police were seeking the assistance of the Chinese authorities.

Police had sent two applications to China, the first seeking information on the couple, and the second requesting to interview them. Chinese authorities had turned down the latest request.

"What happens now? Nothing," Mr Loper said.

"We do have arrest warrants. We do have Interpol warrants, so that if they do go a country where we do have an extradition treaty, we can hopefully action those warrants."

Westpac attempted to recover its losses through the Hong Kong courts last year, bidding to recoup about $660,000 Mr Gao passed through a casino and resort operator Wynn International Marketing in nearby Macau.

The bank lost its case and had to pay the casino's legal bills, after court papers were served on an Asian bank, which froze the casino's entire account, not just the money sought by Westpac.

- NZPA