Prosecutors in Singapore have alleged that Metropolis Harvest Church founder and pastor Kong Hee and 5 different associates used doubtful investments in doubtful corporations to embezzle S$50.6 million ($41 million) from a church constructing fund to finance the pop music profession of Kong's spouse Solar. Him.
On the fifth day of the listening to on Wednesday, protection legal professionals tried to counter the claims by testifying that one of many alleged shell corporations, Xtron Productions, was an impartial agency, financially profitable and never subordinate to Metropolis Harvest Church, The Straits Instances reported.
Firm director Koh Siow Ngea, who beforehand served on the board of Metropolis Harvest Church and is a member of the congregation, testified in court docket Wednesday that Xtron Productions raked in tens of tens of millions of {dollars} a yr by serving to a number of shoppers. He additionally argued that the church was by no means as concerned within the decision-making because the plaintiffs declare.
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Nevertheless, Koh testified in any other case in Tuesday's court docket proceedings, saying he was not conscious of “a number of goings-on within the firm,” in response to The Straits Instances. In court docket on Tuesday, it was additionally revealed that Koh was named as director of Xtron Productions, board member of Metropolis Harvest Church and pastor Tan Ye Peng, who’s among the many accused, in response to Channel Information Asia.
Kong Hee, John Lam, Chew Eng Han (Koh's brother-in-law), Tan Ye Peng and Serina Wee, all previously lively board members of Metropolis Harvest Church, are accused of taking S$24 million donated to the favored Singapore megachurch and shopping for bonds by means of Xtron Productions and PT the First Nationwide Glassware (Firna Glass), purchases categorized by the indictment as “bogus bond investments.” It was additionally alleged that Chew, Tan, Wee and Sharon Tan took an extra S$26 million from the church constructing fund to “cowl up” the unique quantity, in response to Channel Asia Information. All of those exchanges of funds, which occurred between 2007-2009, had been improperly used to advertise the profession of Pastor Kong Solar Ho's spouse, in response to the indictment.
The protection group counters that any funds transferred from Metropolis Harvest Church to the businesses had been for providers used to help Ho's Crossover Undertaking, a church ministry effort to make use of her secular music to draw non-Christians to the religion.
The Crossover Undertaking was launched in 2002 and has seen the discharge of 5 albums by Ho in addition to live shows showcasing her music in church. Crossover Undertaking additionally appeared within the US when Ho moved to Los Angeles, the place she launched 5 albums and music movies, one “China Wine” with common artist Wyclef Jean.
Metropolis Harvest Church described the Crossover venture as “an extension of CHC's mandate to construct a church with out partitions – bringing the gospel to the unchurched throughout society, and that included the world of leisure.”
Regardless of ideas that “Jesus Christ's message of religion, hope and love” could possibly be “repackaged” by means of common music to show younger folks to God, Ho's work, the idea of the Crossover venture, “normally didn’t include explicitly Christian messages. ”, experiences the Wall Road Journal. Nevertheless, Metropolis Harvest Church credit the Crossover Undertaking with advancing evangelism in in any other case closed international locations.
Prosecutors in a legal court docket case introduced by the Charity Fee of Singapore and the Division of Business Affairs rejected claims that Ho's Crossover Undertaking expanded the evangelistic attain of Metropolis Harvest Church and centered on attempting to show that the church's official constructing fund was used to advertise Ho's. music profession.
“We're dealing right here with constructing fund cash and that cash was raised by CHC, a registered charity, for very particular functions,” lead prosecutor Mavis Chionh stated. She added in court docket that “the theological legitimacy of utilizing Ms. Ho's music profession as a method of evangelism will not be a difficulty.”
Ho has not been charged with any wrongdoing, however her husband, Pastor Kong, 48, faces as much as 20 years in jail and fines if convicted of conspiracy to commit legal breach of belief. Together with the opposite defendants, he denied the guilt.
“Solar and I thanks all on your help and encouragement, and we hope you’ll preserve us and CHC in your ideas and prayers,” Kong stated in an announcement to the Metropolis Harvest Church group final week.
Based by the couple in 1989 as a non-profit, non-denominational evangelical church, Metropolis Harvest Church is one in every of Singapore's largest megachurches, with about 30,000 members. The congregants stood by Pastor Kongo and the opposite defendants, with dozens lining up outdoors the courthouse to indicate their help.
