City Harvest trial: 21 months to 8 years' jail for leaders

Kong Hee was given the heaviest sentence of eight years' jail while Sharon Tan received the lightest at 21 months. 

By Vanessa Paige Chelvan and Justin Ong

POSTED: 20 Nov 2015 14:38

UPDATED: 20 Nov 2015 16:25

(Left to right) Sharon Tan, Chew Eng Han, Kong Hee, Tan Ye Peng, 

John Lam and Serina Wee. (Photos: Ngau Kai Yan)

SINGAPORE: All six City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders were sentenced to between 21 months and eight years' jail on Friday (Nov 20).

Senior pastor Kong Hee was sentenced to eight years in prison. 

John Lam, former secretary of the church's management board, was sentenced to three years in prison. 

Sharon Tan, former finance manager, was sentenced to 21 months in prison. 

Board member Chew Eng Han was sentenced to six years in prison.

Senior pastor Tan Ye Peng was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

Serina Wee, former finance manager, was sentenced to five years in prison. 

Bail for all six was extended, and the start of their sentence deferred until Jan 11 next year. 

Judge See Kee Oon, in sentencing the leaders, said that Kong Hee was the most culpable, followed by Tan Ye Peng, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee, and John Lam. 

The six were found guilty on Oct 21 on all counts of criminal breach of trust, and falsification of accounts. They were in court on Friday for oral submissions. 

The leaders set up sham bond investments to fund the Crossover Project, the church's attempt to reach out to non-Christians by propelling Kong Hee's wife, Ho Yeow Sun, to pop stardom. Sun Ho, as she is commonly known, was not in court on Friday.

In court, the defence argued that the co-accused were merely following orders and acting in the interests of the church, and thus their sentences should be calibrated.

The prosecution team consisting of DPPs Mavis Chionh, Tan Kiat Pheng, Christopher Ong, Joel Chen, Jeremy Yeo and Eugene Sng, submitted that "each of the accused persons played their respective roles in a conspiracy with intent to cause wrongful loss to CHC and to defraud the auditors".

"They did not merely wait passively for Kong Hee to instruct them to carry out each specific act and deception needed to drive the conspiracy forward. They took their own initiative to deceive and mislead the trusting members of CHC where necessary, and cannot escape responsibility for those acts," said the prosecution.

After hearing the submissions from both sides, Judge See passed the sentence at 3pm.

"For us ex-members, we'll leave it to the judge. We have to respect the Honour's decision. As what the prosecutor says, we need to do it right now because it will have a great repercussion on other mega churches on what and what cannot be done," said a man who identified himself as a former City Harvest member.

After the sentencing, Sharon Tan's lawyer Paul Seah said that he and his client "will look at the judge's comments" and decide what to do next.

Tan Ye Peng's lawyer N Sreenivasan said that it has been a "trying time" for his client and that Tan "needs to pray, reflect and discern". 

- CNA/wl

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/city-harvest-trial/2278238.html?cid=twtcna

City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and five other leaders misappropriated funds: prosecution

Yahoo! Newsroom – 15 May, 2013  5 hours ago

• 
  Yahoo! Newsroom - City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and wife Sun Ho arrive at the subordinate court of Singapore for the criminal trial against him and five other church leaders …more   less 

The trial against City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and and five other church leaders over alleged misappropriation of funds began on Wednesday before a packed courtroom.

Many members of the non-denominational Singapore mega-church had reportedly queued up as early as late Tuesday evening to get entry passes to the trial, which is being held at the subordinate courts.

In one set of charges, Kong Hee, Tan Ye Peng, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee Gek Yin, Tan Shao Yuen Sharon and Lam Leng Hung are accused of criminal breach of trust for dishonestly misusing $24 million in church building funds to finance the music career of Kong's wife, Sun Ho.

In another set, Chew, Tan Ye Peng, Sharon Tan and Wee are said to have diverted about $26 million in church funds to cover up the "sham transactions" in the first batch of charges.

In the opening statement, lead prosecutor Mavis Chionh pointed out that the church's building funds came from donations by members to a campaign specifically targeted to support the construction of a new church.

Also, based on admitted statements of fact, the CHC management board publicly said none of the church's funds were being used to promote the career of Ho.

However, the prosecutor asserted that evidence would show that the six accused conspired to devise "purported" bond investments through which $13 million in building funds was misappropriated for Ho's career and $11 million was used for the same purpose as well as to for the personal use of one Wahju Hanafi.

The prosecution stressed that it was immaterial whether the accused believed that the promotion of Ho's music career would further the broader objectives of CHC.

"The question is whether the diversion of the Building Fund monies towards financing her music career, under the guise of purported bond investments, was an authorised use of the Building Fund," the prosecutor said.

The prosecution also pointed out that the "theological legitimacy" of using Ho's music career as a means of evangelism was not at issue in the trial and was not relevant to the charges against the accused.

Regarding the second set of charges, the prosecution alleged that the four accused over this aspect of the case conspired to effect the supposed redemption of the bonds "by misappropriating further sums totalling about $26.6 million of CHC's monies".

The prosecution said the accused intended to defraud the auditors of CHC and false entries into CHC's accounts had been made. This was said to have happened in 2009.

In conclusion, the prosecution said the evidence would show that "the offences were part of a deliberately planned, meticulously coordinated, and carefully executed scheme which stretched over a prolonged period of time and involved the movement of millions of dollars".

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/trial-against-kong-hee--five-other-city-harvest-church-leaders-starts-031914520.html

City Harvest Church ex-finance chief charge

Source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120725-361152.html

AsiaOne
Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012

SINGAPORE - City Harvest Church's (CHC) ex-finance chief Serina Wee, 35, was charged this morning, making her the sixth person to face criminal charges over the alleged siphoning of church funds.

The Straits Times reported that Wee faces six charges of criminal breach of trust and four for falsifying accounts.

Her bail has been set at $500,000.

The other five charged so far are founding pastor Kong Hee, 47; church management board member John Lam Leng Hung, 44; Kong's deputy Tan Ye Peng, 39; church finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 36; and investment manager Chew Eng Han, 52.

Prosecutors believe that at least $23 million was invested in alleged sham transactions to fund the pop music career of Kong's wife, Sun Ho.

The funds were said to have been put into a $13 million bond investment with Xtron Productions, while $11 million was allegedly put into another company called PT The First National Glassware.

It is believed that some of the accused also conspired to misappropriate another $26.6 million of church funds so that it would seem like the alleged sham bond investments were redeemed. This is called 'round-tripping'.

Kong arrived at the Subordinate Court at 8.55am this morning for a second mention of the high-profile case, which first came under scrutiny in early 2010, when the Commissioner of Charities (COC) received complaints alleging the misuse of the charity's funds.

The five have not pleaded guilty. The offence of criminal breach of trust carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, and/or a fine. For the charge of falsifying accounts, the accused may be punishable with a life sentence, or jail of up to 20 years and a fine.

yamadak@sph.com.sg

The accused and their charges Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, Internet)

City Harvest church founder, 4 others charged in court Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, AsiaOne, Reuters, AFP)

From pastor-singer to geisha girl

Sunday, July 8. 2012

By BOON CHAN and NG KAI LING

Sun Ho’s career has raised a few eyebrows since her debut in 2002.

FROM the start of her singing career, Ho Yeow Sun, or Sun Ho, stood out from the crowd because she was marketed as a pastor’s wife.

But by the time Ho was dirty dancing in the 2007 video for China Wine, the pastor’s wife label had long been set aside.

Her husband, Kong Hee, 47, is the founder of Singapore’s City Harvest Church. The couple have a seven-year-old son. Along with four others, Kong has been charged with conspiring to cheat the church in order to finance his wife’s music career.

The rise of Sun: In Kuala Lumpur for the launching of her debut Mandopop album Sun With Love in August 2002. – Filepic

Ho, 42, made her Mandopop debut with the album Sun With Love in 2002. In keeping with her then wholesome image, the album cover is a close-up of her barely made-up face, complete with freckles. Singapore’s Radio 100.3 vice-president Anna Lim says of the religious connection: “That was her selling point – something for people to remember and talk about.”

Even then, the album was not overtly religious.

Xiaohan, 38, who wrote the lyrics for Andersen on that record, recalls: “The direction given to the songwriters was that it was to be an album about love of all kinds, and that you could perceive it as love of God or love for your other half. But we knew she was a pastor’s wife.”

The lyricist says the songwriters were told that the songs ought not to hard-sell Christianity, but should sound like “regular commercial songs”. Ho’s popularity rocketed with the subsequent release of Sun*day in 2002 and Lonely Travel the year after.

Both albums sold more than 30,000 copies each in Singapore, estimates Warner Music marketing director James Kang. A top-selling artiste would sell at least this number of copies.

Sun*day won the Best Selling Album Of The Year accolade at the Singapore Hit Awards in 2003, pipping popular acts such as Taiwan’s boy band 5566 and homegrown singer Stefanie Sun.

The group 5566 caused a stir by threatening to boycott the awards that year, alleging “unfair practice”. Their First Album, released in 2002, had sold close to 50,000 copies and the group had expected to pick up the trophy for best-selling album.

Music industry insiders say Ho’s popularity was in part driven by extensive marketing. Lim says: “When she released her first album, she bought programmes to appear on the station to promote herself. It’s quite rare for singers to buy programmes; usually the record companies do it.”

Ho’s fourth and fifth Mandarin albums, distributed by Warner, fared less well in Singapore. Kang estimates that Gain (2006) and Embrace (2007) sold between 5,000 and 10,000 copies each in the city-state.

Kang says that for the earlier albums, Ho was concentrating her efforts locally “to achieve the highest sales and greatest exposure she could get”.

But from her second album Sun*day on, she shifted her attention to Taiwan. Taiwanese radio deejay Tso Kuang-ping, 30, recalls Ho doing really well in Taiwan about seven years ago. Her songs were being sung in karaoke sessions and her albums topped the sales charts. Lonely Travel, released in 2003, as well as Gain and Embrace all went to No.1 in Taiwan on the authoritative G-Music Mandarin album chart.

Tso says: “In Taiwan, people did not see her as having a strong Christian image. They saw her as a pop singer with songs that felt fashionable.”

In 2003, Ho ventured into the American music market with the singleWhere Did Love Go?. It hit No.1 on Billboard’s dance breakout chart. Subsequent singles such as One With You and Without Love, both in 2004, and Gone in 2006, made it to No.1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. Tso says: “I thought the US dance singles were very forward-looking and had a lot of ideas in them.”

Ho’s decision to head West raised eyebrows in the local industry. Kang says: “The US was quite an eye-opening choice for people in the industry because no Asian artistes had been able to break into the market.”

Controversial: Ho collaborated with Wyclef Jean and musicians Tony Matterhorn and Elephant Man on her 2007 video for the song China Wine. In it the Singaporean singer adopted a geisha persona and was dressed sexily.

He estimates that it would take “a few million” dollars just to do a decent job of marketing an artiste, and that it could have cost “close to a million” to make the China Winevideo.

That China Wine music video – a collaboration with Wyclef Jean from hip-hop group the Fugees, which came along in 2007 – had her adopting a persona she called Geisha and prancing about in a midriff-baring top and hot pants.

Teacher Jasmine Ho, 31, a church member since 2002, says: “When you’re in a different country, you have to follow the trend and appeal to the market. For an Asian to make it to music award ceremonies, she did Singapore proud.” She was referring to Ho walking the red carpet at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004.

There were also other music videos. At the start of the reggae-flavouredMr Bill (2009), Sun Ho berates a cheating lover in Mandarin, while Fancy Free (2009) has her in dramatic get-ups which invite comparisons to Lady Gaga.

But it was the China Wine video that set tongues wagging. Homegrown music company Ocean Butterflies director Colin Goh says: “To use pop music to promote Christianity, I think, is fine. But there are many types of images you can adopt and that was so inappropriate to Christianity.” – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

Career milestones

2002: Releases debut Mandarin album Sun With Love and albumSun*day.

2003: Releases Lonely Travel, a Mandarin album.

Where Did Love Go?, her debut English single, is No.1 on the US Billboard’s dance breakout chart.

Named Best-Selling Female Artiste Of The Year and wins Best-Selling Album Of The Year award for Sun*day at Singapore Hit Awards.

2004: English singles Without Love and One With You hit No.1 on the US Billboard Dance Chart.

Named Best-Selling Female Artiste Of The Year at Singapore Hit Awards.

2005: Ends Of The Earth is No.1 on UK Music Week Commercial Pop Chart.

2006: Gain is No.5 best-selling album of the year in Taiwan.

English single Gone hits No.1 on the US Billboard Dance Chart.

2007: Embrace is No.3 best-selling album of the year in Taiwan.

Causes stir with China Wine video.

2009: Releases Fancy Free, a single supposedly from forthcoming English album Cause A Ruckus. The album has yet to materialise.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=%2F2012%2F7%2F8%2Flifefocus%2F11606866&sec=lifefocus

A Christian speaks out against the defensive behavior of Kong Hee and City Harvest Church

Posted by temasektimes on July 2, 2012

On the recent CHC saga, I would like to offer my humble two cents worth, as a Christian – not to judge the people involved in the saga – but to correct any erroneous views about Christianity to the public that may have arose through this saga, for the sake of the God I worship.

Firstly, I was surprised that people found this saga surprising. CHC has been known in Christian circles as being a prosperity sideline church for many years now. I know of several people who have dropped out of CHC for that reasons. They went there to seek Jesus but instead received a different gospel from the one they know. Having visited the church a couple of times, I was uncomfortable with the fact that they kept emphasizing giving money.

Tithing to God is definitely important, but what they claim – tithe, and you will get much more financial blessings back in return – is an erroneous way to appeal to the lustful greed in people’s hearts (sort of like gambling and 4D), but not at all biblical. They also constantly back this strange philosophy with many testimonies for people who have prospered financially after giving to the church. The Bible never teaches getting more money as the motivation of tithing. The Bible does say that we will be blessed if we give, but we give to help God’s work, not to expect money in return. Also, the blessings in return may not necessarily be monentary. In China, there are churches where poor believers still tithe every cent from their pocket to fund their church missionaries (who truly need the money and literally risk life limb and jail to preach the gospel). However, they do so, rejoicing in the fact that God’s work can continue, not that they expect to get back money in return!

Secondly, I was surprised at the defensive behaviour of City Harvest members. I thought this issue was about the church’s pastor, and not the church? Initially when the news about Pastor Kong Hee being arrested broke out, I had never felt the church’s name was defamed in any way – neither do I think the public feels this way. The public seems to know the church is the victim not fellow consipirators. However, the overboard reactionary behaviour of CHC members, and not their pastor’s charges, now has made the public eye the church in a disapproving manner. We are not told to put our faith in men, who are untrustworthy, but in God.

The sad thing is that I see the CHC members blindly continuing to profess their faith in Pastor Kong Hee rather than professing their faith in a just God who would let justice, whatever the outcome be, prevail. God taught us to be respectful and submit to authorities because their power is given by God above. Whatever happens, good or bad, is in God’s Will as well. As a Christian, I feel it is disgraceful to see CHC members pushing and shoving and saying nasty things to reporters outside the court to protect their beloved ‘pastor’. What does this convey to the non Christian world, who see us as messengers of God? What impression of the God we profess to worship does it convey to them? Why are they sacrificing their testimony of God to the world, for the sake of a mere man? What lengths would they go to protect their idol?

Christians throughout the ages have been no strangers to going to court and getting into trouble with the law. The difference is that such things normally happen because the authorities has issues with them preaching the gospel. However, to be charged by the law for mishandling God’s money, that is altogether a different kind of ‘persecution’. It is just and honourable for us Christians to be persecuted for righteousness and for God’s sake…but to be persecuted for our own foolishness and sinful behaviour, is just plain shameful. For the former, God is on our side; for the latter, it is His judgment upon a professed ‘Christian’ who continues to disobey him and indulge in sinful behaviour.

The saddest thing I have felt throughout this whole saga is that I have yet to see an apology from Pastor Kong Hee to God and his church members for commiting a wrong. And also that I have yet to see an apology from CHC members to the non-Christian public observers for their ridiculous ruckus outside the court (as well as writing letters alleging their church has been defamed by the authorities??) giving such a flawed testimony of God to the non Christian public observers. The crux of Christianity is to acknowlege we are utterly depraved, sinful and flawed, and calls for true repentance. Christianity without true repentance and confessing of sins is meaningless. We should be unashamed of acknowleging our wrongdoings because doing so will set us free.

According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What is so hard about apologizing? What is this wretched pride (perhaps stemmed from our face-saving culture?) that Pastor Kong Hee is protecting? That his congregation is protecting for him? Is this pride more important than God? Jesus forsake his pride and died shamefully on the Cross. Because of that He was resurrected and given authority over all men, and millions of Christians honour and revere him today and praise Him with our lips. Can’t Pastor Kong Hee and his church do the same?

If not, let humble me apologize to the public on their behalf. I am sorry for the negative impressions Christians in the media have been giving you recently. I know we Christians normally try to convince you to come to church and to show you that God is living inside of us (of that I respectfully will not apologize for as that is what God calls us to know). But sometimes you see our actions going contrary to what we try to show, and for that I apologize. I would like you to know, that true Christians are not necessarily those who say they are Christians with their lips, nor those who do a lot of volunteer and charity work.

True Christians are those who mean what they say, who obey what Jesus says, who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We Christians may say a million theological words about Christianity to you that you probably think is gibberish, but I would like you to know – indeed – actions speak louder than words. What we do is more important that what we say to you. If ever our actions contradict what we say – if we do not practise what we preach – you are right to label us as hypocrites.

MICHELLE TAN

*The above article was contributed to us for publication by the writer. We thank her for taking the effort to write such a well-thought article.

Source: http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/a-christian-speaks-out-against-the-defensive-behavior-of-kong-hee-and-city-harvest-church/

Kong Hee -- From $127k HDB flat to $9.3m Sentosa Cove penthouse

SINGAPORE - How did the Kongs get from a $127,000 HDB flat to a $9.3 million Sentosa Cove penthouse? 

Pastor Kong Hee and his family started with a five-room HDB flat in Tampines, which they bought for $127,000.

They later sold it for $420,000, The New Paper reported in 2010.

Inside Pastor Kong Hee's many homes Click on thumbnail to view (Photos, graphics: ST, TNP, YouTube screengrabs)

From there, the Kongs bought a Horizon Towers unit in River Valley. It had a private lift, two living rooms, four bedrooms and a compact kitchen.

The flooring was marble, with a carpeted family area and a walk-in wardrobe which showed off the fashionista side of Ms Ho.

It was done up in a mix of American classic and contemporary styles.

In 2010, they sold this apartment and moved into The Suites at Central on Devonshire. It was reportedly sold to them for $2.6 million.

There was also a $28,000-a-month Hollywood Hills estate which Ms Ho rented while pursuing her career as a singer in the United States.

She stayed there with her son, an assistant, a nanny and some relatives while going about her music career. She shuttled between the US and Singapore.

Today, the Kongs live in a luxury Sentosa Cove penthouse which cost $9.3 million, according to The New Paper.

The 487 sq m apartment is more than four times bigger than their Tampines flat and has an ocean view.

paullim@sph.com.sg

Source: http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20120627-355755.html