The ex of a murdered Chinese woman will testify in a New Zealand court
The ex of a murdered Chinese woman will testify in a New Zealand court
Zhong’s daughter, whose name was withheld, tearfully described her mother as a non-public person, but said Zhong had told her about her financial troubles and threats from Sun in the ultimate months of her life.
“On time [they were business partners]I feel they trusted one another loads,” she said. “I think the relationship only broke down around 2018 or 2019 due to some disputes, but I didn’t know the details of those disputes.”
Her mother spoke in additional detail concerning the financial problems and threats she received from the accused after a suicide attempt within the last month of her life, her daughter added.
“I could tell she was very desperate and upset at the time,” she said. “It was only after her suicide attempt that I took over some of her legal affairs and tried to help as much as I could. “Her medical team…advised her not to do things like that anymore.”
In 2019, a civil lawsuit was filed involving Sun, his ex-wife and an organization associated together with his family. Sunbow Limited, of which Zhong was a director, had assets value US$28.6 million as of March 2018, including DigiFilm Limited, Digital Post Limited and two wineries. But by December 2019, Elizabeth Zhong, Sunbow and its subsidiaries owed $16.5 million to BNZ, jurors were told.
During the civil trial, the court appointed an auditor to look at the accounts of Sunbow Limited, Digital Post Limited, Carrick Wines Limited and Kennedy Point Group Limited, and Zhong’s Mortgage One account. The evaluation found that she had transferred greater than $4.5 million from the businesses to her personal bank accounts.
The lawsuit also alleged that the corporate – not Zhong – owned the home in Sunnyhills where she lived and one other residential property in Kumeu where Sun lived, and that it controlled a much smaller stake in the businesses than she claimed.
“Ms Zhong denied misappropriating any money or property from Sunbow Limited,” said a part of the statement read to judges. “She claimed that every one transfers, expenses and loans were to Sunbow Limited and claimed that Sunbow Limited owed her NZD 12,541,153 as of March 31, 2018.”
On October 30, the High Court placed Sunbow Ltd and Digifilm Ltd into liquidation. Three days later, BNZ appointed people to oversee the receivership of Carrick Wines Ltd.
A Royal Reed lawyer who represented Zhong within the civil suit testified today that the businesses failed as a result of legal fallout that hampered Zhong’s ability to repay the corporate’s debts.
She described the financial evaluation, which showed her client had transferred NZ$4.5 million into her personal accounts, as “misleading the court” and creating an “incomplete picture”. While the evaluation showed the cash that ended up in Zhong’s accounts, it didn’t include payments Zhong created from her own account to maintain the corporate afloat.
Chinese woman in New Zealand ‘stabbed greater than 20 times’ by former business partner
Chinese woman in New Zealand ‘stabbed greater than 20 times’ by former business partner
“It has actually been largely evened out…” she said of incoming and outgoing payments. “When Mr. Sun’s lawyers presented this flawed analysis, they agreed that their accountant had made an error. Reed also described multiple threats she believed her client made to her.
“I remember the threats were extremely violent,” Reed testified, describing it as a “very strange experience” that also included threats against Zhong’s young grandchildren.
Zhong told the lawyer she believed she was being followed. One time, when she went to fulfill Reed, Zhong described Sun driving alongside her on the highway. “I remember she felt so unsafe that she always went to my office with another friend,” she said.
Another lawyer, John Siu, who worked with Reed, recalled that in December 2019 she accompanied Zhong to the police station to report the threats. She also informed the police that the accused was “crouching” on the Kumeu residence, which was the topic of a civil dispute.
One of the threats Siu described as a Chinese phrase that’s difficult to translate into English: “It will make her wish to die as an alternative of living.”
