By Adam Ray
Police are still looking for more than half the money that went missing after a bank mistakenly gave a $10 million overdraft to a Rotorua couple.
Leo Gao and his partner Kara Hurring are accused of stealing nearly $7 million from Westpac and fleeing overseas.
Both are now back in the country and facing trial, with Gao arguing he should be released on bail. But more than half the money is still to be recovered, so police want him to stay behind bars.
"The flight risk is considerably heightened by the circumstances of this case," says Sgt Jum Broom, "namely the considerable funds that are still missing."
It's not just police wondering about the missing millions - the judge asked Gao's lawyer if he had information
"In fact, $3,970,000," says Ron Mansfield, Gao's lawyer.
"Those funds are still outstanding in the police case. I'm not in a position to make submission on this."
The money went missing after Westpac loaded a $10 million overdraft onto the account of a Rotorua BP station run by Gao and his partner, Hurring.
They earned the nickname 'the runaway millionaires' after fleeing the country. Hurring voluntarily returned to New Zealand early last year. Gao came back from Hong Kong with police a month ago
"He has no previous convictions for failing to comply with court orders or breaches of bail notified to police," says Mr Mansfield.
Gao wants to be released to an Auckland address and monitored electronically, but police say his previous good behaviour counts for little given the scale of the alleged theft.
Judge Weir said he'd make a decision on Gao's bail application later in the week.
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