P ring player could lose bail bond after fleeing from lawyer's office

File photo / NZ Herald

One of the players in the P ring that used SkyCity Casino as an office could lose $200,000 after breaching bail and running from his lawyer's office while awaiting his High Court trial.

Di Wu was found guilty on three methamphetamine supply and conspiracy charges by a majority verdict 10 - 1 at the High Court at Auckland in June last year.

The jury was unable to return a verdict on a fourth charge of possession for supply.

But before trial, Wu signed bail bonds totalling $200,000 to guarantee he would return to court to face trial, the Crown says.

In January 2007 he put up $50,000 as a bail bond but breached bail twice in the following year and went back to jail.

Wu then put up another $150,000 as a second bond and was again given bail.

Police visited his Beach Rd apartment in the Scene One building in downtown Auckland in February 2009 to check on Wu, but when they knocked on the door they got no answer.

Wu was arrested again and this time was remanded in custody.

However four months before his trial was due to start, Wu was granted leave by the court to go to the Auckland offices of his lawyer Ron Mansfield to help prepare legal arguments.

It was during one of these meetings that Wu ran from the lawyer's office. He was on the run for four months before being re-captured by police.

Now the Crown is seeking a court order that could see Wu forfeit the $200,000.

Crown prosecutor Mark Harborow told the High Court at Auckland today that the bail bond made it clear to Wu what would happen if he breached bail.

He said although Wu was not technically on bail when he ran from his lawyer's office, he was not free to go on the run.

"Wu was subject to conditions that he return to custody at 4pm."

Mr Mansfield told the court that the alleged Beach Rd bail breach was not proven and his client says he was home, despite not answering the door.

Mr Mansfield also said that when Wu ran from his office, he was not technically on bail but instead, he had been remanded in custody.

Mr Mansfield said his client was not on bail when he ran from his offices, but had instead breached conditions of custody.

He said when his client had been arrested for the first bail breach, his bail had been revoked.

Justice Timothy Brewer has reserved his decision.

If the judge finds against Wu, he will be able to apply to the court for relief and he may be able to keep at least part of the bail bond.

Wu, known as Elvis, is currently serving a prison sentence of 12 years and six months with a minimum non-parole period of six years and three months.

His conviction came after the fourth trial arising from the police's year-long Operation Manu, which investigated Asian organised crime running a multimillion-dollar P ring from the VIP lounge of SkyCity casino.

The key figure in the gang, Ri Tong Zhou, 41, was jailed for 15 years after admitting more than 30 methamphetamine-related charges including the supply of more than $3 million worth of P in just two months.

Zhou spent more than $8m at the casino to launder the money.

In sentencing Zhou, Justice Rhys Harrison criticised SkyCity casino for the way it had been used by the drug dealers - Zhou had used the VIP lounge as a hub for discussing the buying and selling of methamphetamine.