A
21-year-old Malaysian woman is spending millions on handbags and luxury
goods after $4.6 million was wrongly transferred into her bank account
four years ago.
Christine Jiaxin Lee
21-year-old Malaysian national, Christine Jiaxin Lee, who was
mistakenly transferred $4.6 million into her Westpac bank account as an
overdraft four years ago when she was just 17, was arrested at Sydney
Airport trying to flee the country after spending millions on handbags
and luxury goods.
The chemical engineering student, who allegedly purchased 'luxury items'
while taking advantage of the mistakenly extended overdraft, was
attempting to flee to Malaysia when she was picked up by Australian
Federal Police at Sydney Airport on Wednesday night.
Ms Lee who still allegedly owes $3.3 million to her bank, appeared
at Waverley Local Court on Thursday after being charged with dishonestly
obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with
the proceeds of crime.
Court documents revealed she is alleged to have committed the
offences on multiple occasions between July 2014 and March 2015. It is
alleged she failed to notify the bank that she was not entitled to the
money.
Police fraud experts launched their investigation in 2012, but a warrant for her arrest was only issued in March this year.
The court heard she knew police were attempting to make contact
with her and she obtained an emergency Malaysian passport in order to
leave the country. But Ms Lee's lawyer reportedly said that she had
wanted to return home to visit her parents who were unaware of her
arrest in Australia.
The 21-year-old was stopped from boarding a flight to Malaysia on Wednesday night by Australian Federal Police
She was granted bail for $1,000 and faces strict bail conditions,
with Magistrate Lisa Stapleton agreeing with the prosecution that her
attempts to flee Australia meant that she posed a flight risk.
Ms Stapleton appeared to suggest the student may not have broken the law and told the court: 'It's not proceeds of crime. It's money we all dream about. She didn't take it from (the bank). They gave it to her.'
The magistrate said that if this is what happened, the student
would owe the money she had spent but would not have broken the law.
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