‘Accidental millionaire’ makes court appearance

A NEW ZEALAND petrol station owner suspected of withdrawing millions of dollars and going on the run after a bank error has appeared in court after being extradited from Hong Kong.

Hui “Leo” Gao appeared in Manukau District Court charged with two counts of money laundering and 16 counts of theft involving €5.8m from Westpac Bank.

Gao and his then-partner, Kara Hurring, disappeared in 2009, two days after they received a credit line worth NZ$10m (€5.8m) — 100 times their approved limit.

The pair, who at the time were running a petrol station in the scenic New Zealand tourist destination of Rotorua, made international headlines and were dubbed the “Accidental Millionaires”.

New Zealand police have said NZ$6.78m was transferred out of the account, though the bank later recovered nearly half.

Gao appeared in court, hours after his arrival back in the country on a flight from Hong Kong. Hong Kong police arrested Gao in September as he tried to cross into the city from mainland China. In October, a Hong Kong court granted a request for his extradition.

Gao was remanded in custody to reappear in the Rotorua District Court today.

Hurring, 32, returned voluntarily to New Zealand earlier this year to face theft charges.