Kiwi ‘accidental millionaires’ sought

What do you do when the bank makes an error and pays $10 million into your account instead of the $10,000 you were expecting? Own up? Hope they won't notice? Or run for it? A New Zealand couple didn't hesitate. They made a whacking cash withdrawal and did a runner.

The couple, Hui 'Leo' Gao and his girlfriend Cara Young, are thought to have fled the North Island resort of Rotorua, where they ran a BP petrol station, two weeks ago. It appears Gao's mother, brothers and his partner's young daughter skipped town at the same time. Police believe the family have travelled abroad, possibly to China or Korea, where the family is from. Interpol have been informed.
 
Gao and Young had applied to the Australian bank Westpac for a NZ$10,000 overdraft. As the result of "human error", as the bank put it, NZ$10m was deposited in the couple's business account. They took what they could and vanished.
 
It is known that the couple was unable to withdraw the total $10 million, but the bank is not revealing how much they absconded with. A spokesman for Westpac said only that his bank was "pursuing vigorous criminal and civil action to recover a sum of money stolen". The bank has subsequently launched "a review" of how the overpayment was made.
 
A local businesswoman described Leo Gao as "a really nice guy". Liquor store manager Chevi Lambert said: "We thought he was pretty honest, turned out he's not."
 
The Sydney Morning Herald asked Claire Matthews, banking lecturer at Massey University, where the couple stood legally. She said they could not "realistically argue" that they honestly believed they were entitled to the money. "They've effectively become thieves," she said, "but it is only going to be a matter of time."
 
However there are plenty of places where the couple could escape extradition law. New Zealand has extradition agreements with some countries but there are plenty - including all of Africa, most of South America ('great train robber' Ronnie Biggs's destination of choice) and much of Asia - where it doesn't. ·