Kong Hee
TNP FILE PHOTOS
[h=1]CITY HARVEST CULTURE 'MIRED IN SECRECY'[/h]
JUDGE SAYS IT WAS KONG HEE WHO DECIDED TO KEEP FINANCING CROSSOVER PROJECT 'DISCREET'
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Oct 24, 2015 6:00am
[h=4]BY FOO JIE YING[/h]
Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.
In the context of the City Harvest Church (CHC) case, it can be said that truth is the best weapon against misinformation or allegations.
That was how State Courts Presiding Judge See Kee Oon described the "conspiratorial cover-ups" of CHC's Crossover Project financing in a 270-page written judgment released on Thursday.
On Wednesday, six CHC leaders were convicted of varying counts of criminal breach of trust and/or falsification of accounts.
The six are: CHC founder and senior pastor Kong Hee, deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, former board member John Lam, former finance manager Sharon Tan, former accountant Serina Wee and former investment manager Chew Eng Han.
At the centre of their offences lie the illegal methods in which the Crossover Project - fronted by Kong's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun, to evangelise through her pop music career - was financed.
Following whistle-blower Roland Poon's allegations that church funds went into Ms Ho's albums, Kong decided to keep the financing of the Crossover Project "discreet".
"This was merely a euphemism for a culture of insecurity mired in secrecy and opaqueness where asking difficult or awkward questions was taboo," said Judge See.
He added that the accused chose to fall back on their biases, beliefs and the people they trusted.
Judge See said: "The more committed the five accused persons (other than Kong Hee) became to the Crossover vision, the more obedient they became. They fell within the 'circle of trust' which enjoins those who are trusted and trusting to commit themselves unquestioningly to support the cause.
"But when they go further to convince themselves that the end justifies the means, and consciously choose to support both the means and the end, and play an active role in executing those means, their conduct can only be characterised not merely as being misguided but dishonest."
Judge See brought up the ring of Gyges - a mythical artefact mentioned by Greek philosopher Plato that grants its owner the power to become invisible at will - to illustrate the cover-ups that the CHC leaders were guilty of.
"The allure of power that can be exercised in secrecy is difficult to resist. When shrouded under a cloak of invisibility, much like the mythical ring of Gyges, persons in such positions of power have no fear of accountability and tend to become their own worst enemies.
"It has thus been wisely said that the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light, and if they choose not to come into the light, they do so for fear that their deeds will be exposed, as they surely will in time," he said.
The hearing will resume on Nov 20 for the prosecution and defence to make their submissions before sentencing.
The penalty for criminal breach of trust is a life sentence, or up to 20 years in jail and a fine.
For falsifying accounts, the penalty is up to 10 years in jail, a fine, or both.
The allure of power that can be exercised in secrecy is difficult to resist.
- State Courts Presiding Judge See Kee Oon in a 270-page written judgment released on Thursday
- See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/city-harvest-culture-mired-secrecy#sthash.m8DDbtRj.dpuf
