Mystery surrounds who has leased the site of the former BP service station on Otonga Rd. Leo Gao, whose business Rotorua BP Barnetts is in receivership, disappeared in early May with his girlfriend, Kara Hurring, after a Westpac staff member accidentally allowed a $10 million overdraft on their bank account. About $6.7million was withdrawn. The bank has been trying to recover some of the money through court action but $3.8 million remains missing. The pair was believed to have fled to Hong Kong. The fuel tanks have been removed from the former petrol station and there is a Harcourts sign on the Otonga Rd property stating that it has been leased. Staff in neighbouring businesses who were spoken to by The Daily Post said they had heard it was going to be an Asian restaurant. One person said he had heard it was going to be Noodle Box. However, Harcourts licensee Grant Wakelin said he was not prepared to comment on who had leased the site as the people who had leased it were not willing to go public at this stage. "Until they get themselves launched they are not willing to talk." The Daily Post contacted the head office of Noodle Canteen, formally Noodle Box, but a spokesman said there were no plans to open up a restaurant at the Rotorua site.
Westpac public relations manager Liz MacIntyre said all Mr Gao's assets which had been held in security had been sold. She said she could not comment on what the assets were. However, documents lodged in the Auckland High Court froze four properties owned by Gao and part owner of the service station Huang Di Zhang, including an empty section on Baxendale Dr and a house on Old Taupo Rd. Gao also had properties in Auckland. Mrs MacIntyre said she could not comment on how much the assets were sold for or whether the money from the sales had been used to cover any of the $3.8 million still outstanding.
