IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
Ho Yeow Sun to resume executive role in City Harvest Church
POSTED: 14 May 2013 7:52 AM
File photo: Kong Hee (R in white) with his wife Sun Ho as they leave the subordinate courts in Singapore. (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: Ms Ho Yeow Sun, the wife of City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee, will resume her role as Executive Director of the church after two suspension orders against her were lifted on Monday with immediate effect by the Commissioner of Charities (COC).
The charities watchdog announced it has reviewed Ms Ho’s suspension orders and is “satisfied that it is now appropriate to discharge the orders”.
Last month, the Commissioner announced his intention to remove eight executive members from their office or employment in the church after finding misconduct and mismanagement in its administration. But he decided not to do so with Ms Ho as there was insufficient evidence that she contributed to mismanagement there.
Asked why it did not lift Ms Ho’s suspension then, the Office of the COC said: “At that point in time, the COC’s immediate task was to determine whether to initiate removal proceedings against the suspended individuals.
“Upon deciding to institute removal proceedings against the eight individuals except Ho on April 9, the COC must be given reasonable time thereafter to consider and make a decision on all matters in relation to Ho, whose suspension will only lapse after August. Furthermore, Ho did not personally request for a review/discharge of the suspension orders.”
A City Harvest Church spokesperson said Ms Ho would resume her role as Executive Director. In a church statement posted online on Monday, Ms Ho said she was thankful to be able to resume her executive duties “at such a crucial time for City Harvest Church”, adding: “I am truly glad that I have been fully vindicated.”
The COC on Monday also granted a two-month extension — until July 13 — for the eight executive members to submit their representations on why they should not be removed from their office. The eight are Kong, Lam Leng Hung, Tan Ye Peng, Tan Shao Yuen Sharon, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee Gek Yin — who are separately facing a criminal trial that begins tomorrow — as well as Mr Kelvin Teo Meng How and Ms Tan Su Pheng Jacqueline.
The extension from Monday’s deadline is a “goodwill gesture”, said the Office of the COC. In return, the eight have agreed to extend their suspensions by two months. The church’s governing board also has until July 13 to submit its representation.
Asked why the board requested for an extension, the church spokesperson said: “There was a need for the board to clarify with the COC what exactly was required for the representations. Now that the clarifications have been made, the board needs more time to craft the representations.”
The Commissioner’s inquiry found financial irregularities of at least S$23 million that were in the church’s building fund but used purportedly to finance Ms Ho’s secular music career.
Monday was also the deadline for the public to submit representations to the COC on four individuals — Kong, Lam, Tan Ye Peng and Mr Teo.
The Office of the COC declined to reveal how many submissions it has received from the public.
Prosecution lays out case against City Harvest Church leaders
By Imelda Saad and Claire Huang
POSTED: 15 May 2013 11:49 AM
UPDATED: 15 May 2013 4:42 PM
About 100 people were queuing to enter the Subordinate Courts to attend the trial involving six of City Harvest Church's leaders.
SINGAPORE: The highly-anticipated trial involving the six leaders of one of Singapore's mega churches - City Harvest - has started.
At the start of the hearing, the prosecution laid out its case against church founder Kong Hee, president of the church's management board at the time of the alleged offences, vice-president Tan Ye Peng, board member John Lam Leng Hung, investment manager Chew Eng Han and finance managers Sharon Tan Shao Yuen and Serina Wee Gek Yin.
Lead prosecutor Mavis Chionh said the centre of this trial was the Building Fund monies entrusted to the church's management board and the manner in which it was channelled to fund singer Sun Ho's music career.
Ms Chionh said Kong Hee, Tan Ye Peng, Chew Eng Han, John Lam and Serina Wee conspired to misappropriate monies from the Building Fund to help advance Sun Ho's music career.
The five are accused of channelling S$24 million into two companies - Xtron Productions and PT The First National Glassware (Firna) - in what is described as "sham bond investments".
Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan are then said to have misappropriated some S$26 million to cover up the first sum.
These same four church leaders also face four counts of conspiring to falsify accounts, said to have happened between April and October 2009.
Ms Chionh said the monies raised through the building fund were for a new church building.
The funds were specifically stated on pledge cards to be used for the purchase of land, construction costs, rentals and furniture.
She said the prosecution will show that sham investments were used to cover up the diversion of the funds to promote Sun Ho's music career.
She said a portion of the monies was also channelled to a Mr Wahju Hanafi for his personal use. This, she stressed, was also not an authorised purpose of the Building Fund.
The prosecution highlighted that in this case, it is immaterial whether the accused persons thought that the promotion of Sun Ho's music career, also known as the "Crossover Project", would further the broader objectives of the church.
The key here, said Ms Chionh, was whether the diversion of monies from the Building Fund to finance the singer's career was "an authorised use".
"The question is not whether CHC and its members supported Sun Ho's music career. The question is whether the diversion of Building Fund monies towards financing her music career, under the guise of purported bond investments, was an authorised use of the Building Fund," said the prosecution.
The prosecution added that monies were taken from the Building Fund and General Fund, both of which were entrusted to the management board.
It said the monies were then circulated through a series of transactions engineered by the four leaders who conspired to create a false impression that the sham bond investments had been redeemed by bond issuers, when in fact the "redemptions" were financed using church monies.
The prosecution said the offences in the present case were not isolated "technical" breaches or inadvertent, occasional missteps.
It said evidence will show they were part of "a deliberately planned, meticulously coordinated and carefully executed scheme, which stretched over a prolonged period of time and involved movement of millions of dollars".
Ms Lai Bao Ting, a former church accountant, is the first prosecution witness to take the stand.
First prosecution witness testifies in City Harvest Church leaders' trial
By Claire Huang
POSTED: 15 May 2013 3:02 PM
Kong Hee (in white) arriving in court with his wife Sun Ho. (Photo: Claire Huang)
SINGAPORE: Prosecution's first witness in the trial of the six City Harvest Church leaders has testified in court.
Ms Lai Baoting, a former accountant at the church, told the court on Monday she reported to finance managers Serina Wee and Sharon Tan during her tenure there.
The court heard she was involved in recording entries and transactions between the church and Xtron Productions Pte Ltd.
In emails shown in court, Ms Lai would sign off as a representative of Xtron Productions even though she was not a staff there.
She explained this was because she was tasked to help handle accounts of Xtron.
The six leaders accused of committing criminal breach of trust are - president of the church's management board Kong Hee, vice-president Tan Ye Peng, board member John Lam Leng Hung, the church's investment manager Chew Eng Han and finance managers Sharon Tan Shao Yuen and Serina Wee Gek Yin.
Five of them - Kong Hee, John Lam, Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng and Serina Wee - allegedly misused church buildings funds amounting to S$24 million by channelling the money into two companies, Xtron Productions and PT the First National Glassware (Firna), as bond investments.
The misappropriation allegedly took place between January 2007 and October 2008.
Then four of them - Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan - are said to have misappropriated some S$26 million to cover up the first sum.
The same four church leaders also face four counts of conspiracy to falsify accounts, said to have happened between April and October 2009.
The funds were allegedly used to boost the music career of Kong Hee's wife, Sun Ho.
"Parrot man" Zeng Guoyan showed up at the Subordinate Courts on Wednesday morning in an attempt to attend the City Harvest trial.
Dressed in an Arab-style long sleeved garment with a thick gold chain around his neck, Mr Zeng said he was there to support City Harvest pastor Kong Hee. He said: "I'm here to pray for him."
Mr Zeng, who claimed to have attended services at City Harvest Church before, joined a queue made up largely of church supporters waiting to get into the court for the afternoon session. He showed up around 10.15am, cut the queue near the back, and started singing Christian hymns. Security officers told him to go back to the end of the queue.
Midway through an interview with reporters, he started quarrelling with 59-year-old coordinator David Lim who was in the queue, who said Mr Zeng was not a Christian and asked him to quiet down.
"Parrot man" Zeng Guoyan showed up at the Subordinate Courts on Wednesday morning in an attempt to attend the City Harvest trial. -- ST PHOTO: TESSA WONG
Mr Zeng then said he wanted to go in, despite being told that the public gallery was full for the trial. He entered the courthouse with security officers trailing after him.
A court official later told The Straits Times that Mr Zeng went to a registry in the courthouse to conduct other business.
Mr Zeng is known for having unsuccesfully tried to contest the 2011 general election and presidential election, as well as the recent Hougang and Punggol East by-elections. He gained the nickname "Parrot Man" for blaming his pet parrot for getting him arrested and charged in 2008 for using abusive language at two police officers.
First witness for City Harvest trial takes the stand
Published on May 15, 2013
One of the witness to take the stand on the first day of the trial, (centre, in red) Lai Baoting, former assistant accountant of the church, arrives at the Subcourt this morning. First witness Lai Baoting said she took instructions on many occasions from accused Sharon Tan to make entries into City Harvest Church's accounts. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
By Bryna Sim And Joyce Lim
First witness Lai Baoting said she took instructions on many occasions from accused Sharon Tan to make entries into City Harvest Church's accounts.
In her condition statement, Ms Lai, a former assistant accountant at the church, said at times, she "did not know" how certain sums were derived, but simply followed Tan's direction to record entries involving millions of dollars to companies such as Xtron and Amac Capital Partners.
Xtron is a production house that managed Ms Ho Yeow Sun's music career. Amac is owned by another accused Chew Eng Han, and was the investment manager of the church.
Ms Lai joined the church in 2006 and worked under Tan.
Earlier, senior counsel Michael Khoo, who is acting for accused Chew Eng Han, sought clarification from the prosecution about whether the church's Crossover Project equalled Ho Yeow Sun's music career.
Mr Khoo took the position that the Crossover Project is a legitimate project undertaken by the church. The church has said that the project was meant to use Ms Ho's secular pop music to reach out to the "unchurched".
The prosecution clarified that it does not matter if it equals to Ms Ho's music career because the trial is about the unauthorised use of church funds, and the building funds were raised for a specific purpose.
Prosecution: City Harvest church leaders had "deliberately planned" scheme to move money
Published on May 15, 2013
By Tessa Wong
Church founder Kong Hee and his wife Sun Ho, enters the Subcourt for the first day of trial. Prosecutors for the City Harvest trial said they had evidence of a "deliberately planned" scheme by church leaders aimed at moving millions of dollars. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
Prosecutors for the City Harvest trial said they had evidence of a "deliberately planned" scheme by church leaders aimed at moving millions of dollars.
In their opening statement, prosecutors said that the offences committed by church pastor Kong Hee and five other church staff were not "isolated technical breaches or inadvertent occasional missteps".
Rather, they 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".
The prosecution said they would prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused are guilty of all charges. Kong Hee, and five senior members - Tan Ye Peng, Sharon Tan, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee and John Lam Leng Hung - were arrested and charged last year for allegedly funnelling $24 million into sham bond investments to further the career of Kong's wife, pop-singer Ho Yeow Sun between 2007 and 2008.
The money used was from the church's Building Fund which was earmarked to build a new church.
Another $26.6 million is said to have been misappropriated to cover up the sham investments in a procedure known as "round-tripping". This was supposedly done to throw the church's auditors' off "the scent of the bogus bonds", said the prosecution.
These were not the genuine commercial transactions the accused persons made them out to be.
It is immaterial whether the accused thought the promotion of Ms Ho's music career would further the broader objectives of the church. Rather, the question is whether diverting money from the Building Fund under the guise of purported bond investments to fund her career was an authorised use of the money, said the prosecution.
The six face varying counts of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts. The first offence is punishable with a life sentence, or up to 20 years in prison and a fine. The second carries a maximum of 10 years in jail, a fine or both.
The six accused have agreed to be jointly tried on all the charges against them.
Former City Harvest Church accountant testifies in court
By Claire Huang
POSTED: 16 May 2013 11:44 AM
File photo: The Subordinate Courts in Singapore. (photo: Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com)
SINGAPORE: The trial of the six City Harvest Church leaders continues on Thursday with the prosecution's first witness giving evidence.
Taking the stand for a second day, former accountant at the church, Ms Lai Baoting, said she had to 'work backwards' to get the interest rate of a bond investment made by the church.
Emails and documents raised in court showed that City Harvest Church was investing S$5.8 million in the special opportunities fund of AMAC Capital Partners from October 2, 2009 to November 30, 2009.
A further S$5.6 million was invested in the same AMAC fund from October 15, 2009 to November 30, 2009.
The interest rate for the S$11.4 million investment was initially set at two per cent but in an email dated November 23, 2009, Ms Lai told AMAC's chief Chew Eng Han, who was then also the church's investment manager, that she worked out a new interest rate of 5.05 per cent per annum and the changes needed to be reflected in the two Tranche Papers.
On Thursday, Ms Lai told the court she 'worked backwards' to get the new interest rate after Sharon Tan, her then-supervisor, told her the interest to be received on November 25, 2009, would be S$76,625.
This series of events took place around the same period in October 2009, when the church redeemed the Xtron Productions and PT the First National Glassware bonds.
The prosecution's case is that the supposed returns from the AMAC investments were decided by the accused persons, so as to justify the purported investments.
Prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng is driving at the fact that Chew Eng Han and Sharon Tan were trying to make the accounts tally.
And in doing so, Ms Lai had to work backwards to derive the new interest rate, since Chew asked her to decide on the interest rate.
On May 15, Ms Lai told the court that in two meetings, an auditor hired by the church, Mr Sim Guan Seng, had expressed concerns over the church's dealings with Xtron as well as AMAC.
Later in the morning, under the three defence lawyers' questioning, the court heard that Mr Sim expressed concerns over the dealings as he wanted to ensure the church's interest is protected.
Ms Lai on Thursday clarified that Mr Sim had not expressed concerns over the authenticity of those investments.
Ms Lai is testifying in the trial against six CHC leaders accused of committing criminal breach of trust.
The six are president of the church's management board Kong Hee, Vice-President Tan Ye Peng, board member John Lam Leng Hung, the church's investment manager Chew Eng Han and finance managers Sharon Tan Shao Yuen and Serina Wee Gek Yin.
Five of them - Kong Hee, John Lam, Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng and Serina Wee - allegedly misused church buildings funds amounting to S$24 million by channelling the money into two companies, Xtron Productions and PT the First National Glassware (Firna), as what were described as "sham bond investments".
This allegedly took place between January 2007 and October 2008.
Four of them - Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan - are said to have misappropriated some S$26 million to cover up the first sum.
The same four church leaders also face four counts of conspiracy to falsify accounts, said to have happened between April and October 2009.
The funds were allegedly used to boost the music career of Kong's wife, Sun Ho.
Singapore presses embezzlement case against church leaders
AFP
Thursday, May 16, 2013
SINGAPORE - Prosecutors Thursday pressed their case against leaders of a Singapore-based Christian church accused of embezzling millions of dollars to finance the singing career of the pastor's wife.
Alleged sham investments by the City Harvest Church - a registered charity - came under the spotlight as prosecutors questioned their first witness, Lai Baoting, the church's former assistant accountant.
Through Lai's testimony they tried to show that the church's finance manager and fund manager were involved in the investments.
The pastor and founder Kong Hee, 48, and five officers have been charged with varying degrees of involvement in a scheme to siphon off $24 million to finance the singing career of his wife, who goes by the name Sun Ho in the music industry.
In addition, more than $26 million in church money was allegedly misappropriated to cover up the original diversion.
Prosecutors at the start of the trial Wednesday said the accused channeled money allotted for the church's building into buying sham bond investments in church-linked companies so they could finance Ho's secular music career.
They allegedly falsified church accounts to make it appear the bonds were redeemed, in an elaborate scheme the prosecutors called "round-tripping".
"The transactions were thus designed to throw the auditors off the scent of the bogus bonds," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Mavis Chionh.
Chionh told the packed courtroom Wednesday the offences were "part of a deliberately planned, meticulously coordinated and carefully executed scheme which stretched over a period of time and involved the movement of millions of dollars".
Edwin Thong, one of the defence lawyers, said Thursday that an external auditor did not question the authenticity of the investments.
The six accused appeared light-hearted, whispering and smiling at some points during the hearing.
"Christian, remember the goodness of God in the frost of adversity," Kong tweeted after the court adjourned Thursday, quoting from 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon.
Scores of church members trooped to the court for a second day Thursday to lend their support, with some queuing from 4.30 am to ensure a seat.
The church, which has a membership of more than 30,000, has affiliates in neighbouring Malaysia and other countries.
It is known for services that resemble pop concerts and had assets estimated at more than Sg$100 million in 2009.
The pastor's wife, now in her early 40s, was hoping international stardom would help spread the church's message, according to previous reports in the Singapore media.
She had based herself in Hollywood while trying to break into the international music industry.
Defence lawyers on Thursday said the external auditor had no problems with City Harvest Church's (CHC) accounts.
But on day two of the trial of the church's six leaders, who are accused of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts, the prosecution highlighted an e-mail about the auditor's concerns over the church.
Among these were how the church valued bonds of Xtron, the company that had managed pop singer Sun Ho, who is also CHC founder Kong Hee's (above) wife.
The bonds were unquoted and since they were not traded on the open market, determining their market value would be more subjective, he said.
Read the full report in The New Paper on Friday (May 17).
SINGAPORE: The trial of the six City Harvest Church leaders resumed on Monday, with a new prosecution witness on the stand.
Former City Harvest Church accounts assistant Angie Koh Li Ching is the prosecution's second witness to testify in court.
She told the court that sometime in October 2009, then-finance manager Serina Wee was involved in coordinating the redemption of Firna bonds.
The church had invested money in PT The First National Glassware, also known as Firna, in the form of bonds.
Ms Koh said on 3 October 2009, Serina Wee instructed her via email to complete all transactions relating to redemption of bonds by 31st October 2009.
In the email, Serina Wee had stated that it was important to keep to the timeline.
On Monday, when asked if she knew why it was important to stick to the timeline given, the witness said she was not aware.
Ms Koh also testified that her queries, including one on how the special opportunities fund at AMAC Capital Partners worked, went unanswered.
Prosecution's case is that the accused had created a false impression that the sham bond investments had been redeemed by the bond issuers.
It alleges that the "redemptions" were financed using the church's monies.
In order to create that impression, it is the prosecution's case that the accused had devised a series of transactions, also known as "round-tripping", in order to clear the purported investments off the church's accounts.
Six leaders from the church, including founder Kong Hee, are accused of varying counts of criminal breach of trust.
Five of the six are alleged to have used S$24 million of the church's building fund to boost singer Sun Ho's music career. Sun Ho is the wife of Kong Hee.
Four of the six leaders are then said to have used another S$26 million to cover up the first sum, as well as falsify accounts.
City Harvest trial: Witness said she was not told about background of transactions
Published on May 20, 2013
One of the witnesses to take the stand, Angie Koh (in black dress), arrives at the Subordinate Courts for the third day of trial on 20 May 2013. The prosecution tried to show on Monday that a few of the accused church leaders in the City Harvest trial had plotted the movement of millions of dollars, while leaving others out of the loop on their plan. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
By Bryna Singh
The prosecution tried to show on Monday that a few of the accused church leaders in the City Harvest trial had plotted the movement of millions of dollars, while leaving others out of the loop on their plan.
An email from Serina Wee to Sharon Tan - both of whom are accused persons - saw the former saying that she did not want her company, Advante, to be reflected in "any of the transactions", so that "auditors wouldn't blame us".
Another email from Wee to Wahju Hanafi, who is not one of the accused, saw Wee telling Mr Hanafi to complete certain transactions in the "soonest possible time frame", so that the bank would not "raise any questions".
Mr Hanafi is the director of several companies, including Xtron and Ultimate Assets, which were involved in transactions with the church.
Mr Hanafi had said in an email reply to Wee, Chew Eng Han and second witness Angie Koh: "All these costs are to be borne by Xtron or whatever company. We are just instruments to make things happen."
When Ms Koh was asked by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mavis Chionh if she knew what Mr Hanafi was referring to in his email response, she said she did not.
Ms Koh was then involved in handling the church's accounts, but said repeatedly in her court testimony that Wee had not explained to her the background of the various transactions the church had with companies such as Xtron, AMAC or Ultimate Assets, nor the relationship the church had with these companies.
Monday marks the third day of the trial, in which six church leaders are alleged to have funnelled $24 million into sham bond investments in companies such as Xtron, to further the career of senior pastor Kong Hee's pop singer wife. They are then said to have devised a series of transactions amounting to $26.6 million to clear the engineered bond investments off the church's accounts.
Prosecutor tries to establish intricate relationship between City Harvest Church, Xtron Productions
By Claire Huang
POSTED: 21 May 2013 2:53 PM
Singapore Subordinate Courts (Photo: Anthony Chia, channelnewsasia.com)
SINGAPORE: The fourth day of the trial involving six City Harvest Church leaders saw the prosecution trying to establish the intricate relationship between the church and Xtron Productions.
The court heard this from the prosecution's third witness, director of Xtron, Koh Siow Ngea.
Mr Koh, currently a property firm's director, was a church board member from July 2007 to July 2008, as well as part of the church's investment committee from February to July 2008.
He stepped down in July 2008 to be the director of Xtron upon the invitation from Tan Ye Peng, who is one of the accused.
This prompted prosecutor Christopher Ong to question why a director of Xtron, which is independent of the church, was appointed by it (CHC).
Mr Koh replied: "Somebody has to appoint me."
He in turn asked the prosecutor why the church could not appoint him as a director of Xtron, before adding that he was not sure why the church was making the appointment.
The court also heard that Xtron had been making losses, amounting to millions in the financial years of 2007 and 2008.
Mr Koh defended the company, saying it is still a viable business.
The prosecutor pointed out that the church accounted for about 97 per cent of Xtron's business and despite this, it made losses of about S$9 million in FY 2008.
But Mr Koh said Xtron will always have the church's business as it serves its vision.
The court also heard another church board member, Suraj, had the final say when it came to Xtron staff appointments.
But Mr Koh said he was not aware of this.
Xtron Productions is a production house for music albums and a concert organiser, among other things.
It was registered in June 2003 by Chew Eng Han, John Lam and Chew's wife, Chong Lay Choo.
Each of the three held one subscription share at S$1.
In 2008, Xtron issued 6,000,006 shares at S$1 each. The firm was held equally by directors Choong Kar Weng and Mr Koh.
Xtron was managing the music career of church founder Kong Hee's wife, Sun Ho from 2003 to 2008.
SINGAPORE - It was revealed in court yesterday that a loss of more than $14 million was made from the production of an album for pop singer Sun Ho.
Ms Ho is the wife of City Harvest Church (CHC) founder and pastor Kong Hee, who is on trial along with five other church leaders for allegedly funnelling $24 million of the church's funds into sham bond investments to further Ms Ho's career.
The Shin Min Daily News reported that the loss amounting to $14,372,654 was settled by Indonesian businessman Wahju Hanafi in a payment to Xtron Productions, a music production company that managed Ms Ho from August 2007 to August 2008.
This was disclosed in an email produced by the prosecution. It was sent by former CHC finance chief Serina Wee, one of the six accused, to former CHC accounts assistant Angie Koh on April 5, 2010.
Mr Wahju was the director of Xtron as well as Ultimate Assets and Firna, another music production company that managed Ms Ho after she ended her contract with Xtron. These companies are allegedly involved in the series of sham bond investments undertaken by CHC.
$13m used to promote Sun Ho's music career "completely honest"
POSTED: 22 May 2013 6:29 PM
City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee (C) leaves the Subordinate courts in Singapore on May 16, 2013. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: The $13 million pumped into Xtron Productions and used to promote singer Sun Ho's career was "completely honest" and an open matter.
Prosecution's third witness, former Xtron director Koh Siow Ngea, said this in the City Harvest Church (CHC) trial on Wednesday.
Mr Koh, a property developer, was testifying in the trial against six CHC leaders, including founder Kong Hee, accused of committing criminal breach of trust.
Kong Hee, John Lam, Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng and Serina Wee allegedly misused church building fund amounting to S$24 million by channelling the money into two companies, Xtron and PT the First National Glassware (Firna), in what were described as "sham bond investments".
This allegedly took place between January 2007 and October 2008.
A second set of charges involve Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan, who are said to have misappropriated some S$26 million to cover up the first sum.
The funds were allegedly used to boost the music career of Kong Hee's wife, Sun Ho.
Taking the stand for the second day, Mr Koh testified that the
S$13m was transferred from the church's building fund to Xtron.
This was because Xtron was managing the singing career of Sun Ho at that time and the funds were invested in Xtron bonds, which were in turn used for her music album and its promotion.
Sun Ho's music career is part of the church's Crossover Project, which aims to use pop music for evangelism.
Defence lawyer Edwin Tong, who is representing Kong Hee, pointed out that "not a single cent" of that $13 million was spent on any other purpose.
Mr Koh agreed.
The witness also acknowledged that there was nothing secretive nor sinister about the transactions.
Mr Koh agreed that in essence, the $13 million was used for church events.
A sum of $13 million was provided to Xtron under the first bond subscription agreement signed between AMAC Capital Partners and Xtron.
Referring to minutes of meetings, Mr Tong made the point that the church Board and investment committee had discussed Xtron bond investments as well as Xtron's ability to redeem the bonds.
So, the church's investment committee, accountants, as well as the Board, were aware of these investments, he said.
Mr Koh agreed and said he found those transactions proper.
Mr Tong also tried to make the point that Mr Koh and his fellow director, Choong Kar Weng, consulted each other on matters of the company.
This comes after prosecution alleged that Mr Koh was merely a figurehead while the church was the one controlling the firm.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr Koh testified that the decision to purchase a unit at The Riverwalk was made by Xtron and not the church.
Mr Koh said ultimately, the company was the one that approved the move to purchase The Riverwalk property.
This was different from Tuesday's evidence, where he said the church was the one making decisions for Xtron.
Defence lawyer Kenneth Tan pointed out that approval has to be obtained from Xtron, so the firm had the final say.
Mr Koh agreed.
Mr Tan, who is representing the accused John Lam, also cross-examined Mr Koh on the appointment of Xtron staff.
The court heard on Tuesday that Mr Koh, the brother-in-law of accused Chew Eng Han, was appointed as director of Xtron by the church.
But on Wednesday, Mr Tan pointed out that Mr Koh was nominated by the church as Xtron has its own directors and they decide whether or not to approve the church's nomination.
Mr Koh agreed.
At the start of the trial on Wednesday, Mr Koh said the church and Xtron decided collectively on whether to invest in bonds.
The prosecution pointed out that this was different from what he said on Tuesday, that the church made decisions for Xtron.
But Mr Koh said the prosecution did not ask him this specifically on Tuesday.
The court also heard that Mr Koh signed the minutes of an Xtron meeting dated 25 October 2008. The other director, Mr Choong, was not in Singapore at that time.
This meant Mr Choong could not have attended the meeting or approved the minutes, but his signature was there.
The prosecution then asked Mr Koh why he signed off on something with the incorrect date.
City Harvest: DPP shows that 2 documents signed in 2007, were drafted in 2010
Published on May 23, 2013
Church founder Kong Hee (right), and his lawyer Edwin Tong (left), leave the Subordinate Courts after the fifth day of the City Harvest Trial, on May 22, 2013. On the sixth day of the City Harvest trial involving six accused persons from the church, the prosecution showed that two sets of documents which were signed in 2007, appeared to have been drafted only in 2010. -- ST FILE PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
By Bryna Singh
On the sixth day of the City Harvest trial involving six accused persons from the church, the prosecution showed that two sets of documents which were signed in 2007, appeared to have been drafted only in 2010.
One of the documents was a personal guarantee signed by Mr Wahju Hanafi, indemnifying company Xtron Productions against any losses from the Crossover Project, which involved church founder Kong Hee's wife, pop singer Ho Yeow Sun. The other was another personal guarantee signed by accused persons Kong Hee, Tan Ye Peng, Chew Eng Han and witness Koh Siow Ngee, indemnifying Mr Wahju Hanafi for the earlier-mentioned guarantee.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Christopher Ong pointed to an e-mail sent by accused Serina Wee to Chew in 2010, in which the drafts of the two personal guarantees came attached.
DPP Ong asked Mr Koh if he recalled signing the guarantee in 2007. Mr Koh could not. When asked if he knew why Wee had drafted them in 2010, Mr Koh replied he did not know. Noting the three-year time gap, DPP Ong pressed: "Does that look like an error to you?" Mr Koh replied that it could have been an "oversight" or "carelessness".
This trial involves six church leaders who are alleged to have funnelled $24 million into sham bond investments in companies such as Xtron, to further the career of senior pastor Kong Hee's pop singer wife, Ho Yeow Sun. They are then said to have devised a series of transactions amounting to $26.6 million to clear the engineered bond investments off the church's accounts.
Thursday marks the final day of this first section of the trial, which will resume in August.
City Harvest says it does not fully understand Chew Eng Han's reasons for leaving
POSTED: 22 Jun 2013 10:25 AM
File photo of investment manager Chew Eng Han (L), a senior church member of the City Harvest Church.
SINGAPORE: The board of City Harvest Church (CHC), six of whose leaders are involved in a court trial over alleged misuse of millions of church building funds, said it is saddened by the news of Chew Eng Han leaving.
Chew is one of the six CHC leaders facing trial on the misuse of funds, and was a board member as well as a fund manager for the church.
He announced his decision to leave his church of 17 years in his blog on Friday, citing differences in opinions with the church leadership.
The church board responded to the announcement with a posting at the CHC website past midnight. It said it did not fully understand the reasons for his current sentiments but wished him well.
Besides Chew, CHC founder Kong Hee, along with John Lam, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan, are involved in the trial over the alleged misuse of funds.
City Harvest Church stalwart queries leadership
Chew asks if board had probed issues raised by Commissioner of Charities
Published on Jun 25, 2013
Chew Eng Han, who quit the church last Friday, was once on its board and is said to have had been unhappy with his colleagues for some time now. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
By Tan Dawn Wei, Assistant News Editor
THE rift between City Harvest Church stalwart Chew Eng Han and the church leadership has become more apparent after the two sides were involved in a telling online exchange over the last few days.
It started after Chew announced last Friday that he had decided to leave the church after 17 years.
His departure came as a surprise to many not only because he had been integral to the church's leadership, but also because he did so in the middle of a high-profile corruption trial involving him and five other church leaders.
But those in the know said that Chew, who was once on the church's board and was also its fund manager, had been unhappy with his colleagues for some time now.
Updated: 08/01/2013 21:24 | By Channel NewsAsia
COC defers removal proceedings against City Harvest leaders
SINGAPORE: The Commissioner of Charities (COC) has agreed to defer the removal proceedings of eight City Harvest Church leaders from office until after a criminal trial involving six of them is over.
In a media statement, the office of the commissioner said it agreed to do so, following requests from seven of the church leaders, the church's governing board, and some of its members.
The seven church leaders who made the requests include the church's founder, Kong Hee.
An executive member, Chew Eng Han, did not ask for a deferment and has left the church.
Kong and Chew along with four others are undergoing a criminal trial for allegedly misappropriating millions of dollars of church funds. The money was allegedly used to fund the music career of Kong Hee's wife, Sun Ho.
Earlier, the commissioner had proposed to remove the church leaders after an inquiry found misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of the church. Necessary steps however are being taken to ensure that the charity remains protected.
An order has been issued for the church to provide regular updates on its key activities and financial position for close monitoring.
The regulatory action by the commissioner is separate and independent of the current criminal proceedings.
The trial, which began in May, is scheduled to resume this month. - CNA/ac
