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An immigrant couple is facing fraud and money laundering charges over $2 million missing from an import business.
Filipinos Herminia Lanuza and Divinia Granados were forced to surrender their passports when they appeared in Auckland District Court on Friday.
Their lawyer, Barry Hart, entered no plea and they were remanded on bail until their next court appearance in late January.
Lanuza, 51, was the chief financial officer for the Auckland company which imports glassware, giftware and kitchenware.
She has been charged by police with stealing foreign cash valued at almost $250,000 and belonging to the managing director, between October 2003 and October 2007.
Lanuza has also been charged with making false entries into the company's accounting ledger, dishonestly obtaining direct credit through the BNZ online system, and dishonestly drawing cheques from the company between July 2003 and last February.
Granados, 49, was charged as an accomplice to her partner and faces one count of laundering money through bank accounts.
Detective Marty Laagland said more charges were likely to be laid. The total fraud was believed to be at least $2m. The missing money was discovered only after a bill payment bounced. The company has name suppression.
