William Yan 'gave away' Rolls Royce

William Yan is applying to the High Court for living expenses after his assets were seized earlier this year. Photo / Brett Phibbs

An Auckland businessman who had $40 million of assets seized this year has told the High Court he gave away a Rolls Royce.

Yan, who has also gone by the name Bill Liu, has applied to get living expenses out of assets that were restrained by the police in August because of his alleged involvement in money laundering.

As part of the police's opposition to this application, lawyer Mark Harborow questioned Yan in the High Court at Auckland today about his business dealings and assets.

Harborow questioned the businessman about a 2012 Rolls Royce, which was held in a company for Yan's family trust.

Asked if he gave the luxury vehicle away, Yan said - through an interpreter - that he had.

"You're not owed any money or other benefit for the car?" Harborow asked.

"Absolutely not," Yan replied through his interpreter.

"What I want to suggest to you Mr Yan [is] it was unlikely for you to simply give this away and must have received something or alternatively be owed something in the future for the vehicle," the police lawyer then said.

"It sounds logical hearing what you just said but it is not true. So this person has the intention to have a good relationship with me, so he can have his company to go to sharemarket in Hong Kong. This is like the Chinese culture between the businessman," Yan said.

Yan said he gave away the car to a man called "Tony", whose last name he had difficulty pronouncing. Yan said the man knew internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom.

Harborow also asked Yan today about gambling, and whether he had lost millions of dollars at the casino.

"I haven't been gambling for two years...I haven't had the actual calculation in terms of how much money I lost, I guess you can go to [the] casino, they will have a clear record," Yan said.

Harborow questioned Yan earlier in the hearing about a property in the Auckland suburb of Birkenhead.

Yan said it was owned by Marmande Property Investments, of which he holds 20 per cent of the shares.

The businessman called the property a "special project" that the company wanted to sell to "rich people from China".

"What I want to suggest to you Mr Yan, you intended this property be a residence for you and your family," Harborow said.

Yan said if that was the case the property would be in his own name.

The lawyer took Yan to documents which referred to the project as the "Liu family residence" but the witness said he had no idea why this was.

He said he was "heavily involved" in the project but denied it was intended for his family.

Harborow then quizzed Yan, who said he drives a 2005 black Porsche, about another luxury car of the same make purchased in June this year.

Yan said this Porsche, which is white, had nothing to do with him and was a Marmande company car.

While he was involved in the purchase, Yan told the court he wasn't the only one and said the company paid for the vehicle out of its account.

Harborow, in questioning Yan, also quizzed him on a third car, a 2015 Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

The police lawyer referred to documents that said the customer name on this vehicle order was Marmande and Bill Liu.

"This Porsche was ordered for you wasn't it,?" Harborow asked.

"No, definitely not," Yan said via the interpreter.

Yan then said that it was intended that Marmande would swap the white Porsche for the newer car when it arrived but because of the police's restraining orders the purchase was cancelled.

For a second time, he denied the car was for him.

Yan was also asked about his luxury apartment in Auckland's Metropolis building, which police raided in August because of his alleged involvement in money laundering.

No criminal charges have been laid but at least $40 million of assets have been seized under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act.

The Herald revealed in October that Yan is alleged to have stolen $129 million in China and concealed the fortune in New Zealand through complex money laundering transactions, according to court documents.

Court documents show new allegations in the case against Yan, in which Chinese authorities claim he orchestrated several complex deceptions" in a $129 million fraud when he was the chairman of a pharmaceutical company in 2000.

His Queen's Counsel Paul Wicks said in October his client "strongly denies any wrongdoing in any jurisdiction".

Yan has been a permanent resident in NZ since 2002. In 2005, he applied for citizenship, but this was opposed by the Internal Affairs because his true identity was not known.

He was then granted citizenship by minister Shane Jones against the advice of officials.

His citizenship was conferred in a VIP ceremony in Wellington after lobbying from Dover Samuels, a Labour MP at the time, who regards him as a close friend.

Last year, the Auditor-General investigated how Yan came to be granted citizenship, but found no evidence of any wrongdoing.