Westpac fugitive bids for freedom

Kara Hurring
Kara Hurring
A bid to have all charges against "runaway millionaire'' Kara Hurring thrown out is being reviewed by a judge.

Judge Chris McGuire heard her lawyer Simon Lance's application to drop 28 fraud-related charges in Rotorua District Court today.

Hurring fled the country in 2009 after Westpac accidentially deposited $10 million into her partner Hui `Leo' Gao's account.

She was arrested when she returned to New Zealand due to passport issues.

A five-day trial is due to start in Rotorua on February 20.

The grounds of the application and details of today's hearing have been suppressed by the court.

Judge McGuire decided to make a decision at a later date, and it is expected to be released on September 15.

During the hearing Hurring sat at a desk at the rear of the courtroom, sometimes scribbling on a notebook.

The charges include two of international money laundering to the value of $1.5m Hong Kong ($ NZ230,000) relating to activities in Macau.

The 32-year-old had a baby with Gao.

- The New Zealand Herald

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