New Zealand: ‘accidental millionaire’ found guilty on 30 charges

A New Zealand woman who went on the run with her boyfriend after $8.2 million was deposited in his bank account in a bank blunder, has been found guilty on 30 charges, including international money laundering.

Kara Hurring, 32, had a baby boy in Hong Kong with boyfriend Leo Gao after they left in April 2009 after a bank mistakenly transferred 10 million New Zealand dollars into their account.

Westpac Bank had intended to increase the limit on the couple's bank overdraft to 100,000 NZ dollars but a decimal point slip-up gave them 100 times more, the Australian Associated Press reported at the time.

The pair allegedly funneled $5.62 million into other accounts and left for Hong Kong before the bank realized its error.

They allegedly went on a gambling spree in Macau and southern China last year.

However, the couple reportedly separated soon after they arrived in China, with Hurring returning to New Zealand after having a baby. 

More from GlobalPost: NZ's accidental millionaires had baby on the run

The Fairfax Press quoted Hurring as saying outside Rotorua District Court today on Friday that she felt "relieved, just relieved I can't wait to see my kids that's all I can say."

Hurring, who has two children — an 18-month-old son born in China while she was on the run for 22 months, and her eight-year-old daughter Leena — Hurring was released on bail to appear for sentencing on August 24.

Gao, meantime, is on electronic bail in Auckland awaiting trial on similar charges.

Hurring was arrested after returning to New Zealand in February 2011, while Gao was extradited from Hong Kong last year, the BBC reported.

"She will be sentenced on lesser basis than Gao because the amounts of money she is involved in are significantly less than the millions he has been charged," said Hurring's lawyer, Simon Lance.