The Malaysian student accused of splurging $4.6 million on luxury items after Westpac mistakenly gave her account an unlimited overdraft has pleaded not guilty.
Christine Jiaxin Lee arrived at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court on Tuesday wearing ripped jeans, a Monster energy drink cap and white canvas shoes.
The 21-year-old’s lawyer, Hugo Aston, told Daily Mail Australia they would be ‘vigorously defending the charges’ of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
‘We feel confident our client will be acquitted,’ Mr Aston said.
Mr Aston said her family have travelled from Malaysia to support her through the matter.
‘Her family are fully supportive of her. We are very much a united team,’ Mr Aston told Daily Mail Australia.
Her family was not in court on Tuesday.
Ms Lee plans on returning to Malaysia at the conclusion of the matter, he said.
Representatives from Westpac were in court to observe the matter.
Matt Tregoning, from the bank’s investigations area, told Daily Mail Australia he hoped to see ‘justice’.
Ms Lee sat in court on Tuesday wearing ripped jeans, white canvas shoes and a black singlet. She had a tattoo on her wrist, arm and ankle visible, and had a pink fluffy key-chain attached to her light brown backpack.
As she left the court room, Ms Lee put her Monster energy drink cap back on, a germ mask, and grey hooded jacket.
Ms Lee was arrested in May by immigration officials at Sydney airport as she tried to board a flight to Malaysia.
Some of the handbags seized from Ms Lee’s apartment were by designer brand Hermes (centre two and two at right)
She allegedly spent the millions in a shopping spree over an 11-month period
The chemical engineering student had been given an unlimited overdraft in a Westpac processing error in 2012.
It is alleged she realised in July 2014 she had an unlimited overdraft and then allegedly went on a $4.6 million spending spree for the following 11 months.
In a single day, Ms Lee allegedly handed over $220,000 at the Christian Dior shop in Sydney.
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In April last year, a senior manager from the bank realised the error and called Ms Lee and demanded she account for the missing millions.
Ms Lee has previously claimed she believed the money had been transferred by her parents.
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