Kong Hee's CBT case starts today

[LITTLEREDDOT]

[h=1]City Harvest Church ex-finance chief charged with 10 criminal charges[/h]
<!--start of story text-->By Bryna Sim , Leonard Lim
<!--start of story text-->
City Harvest Church (CHC) ex-finance chief Serina Wee, 35, was charged on Wednesday morning with 10 criminal charges - six for criminal breach of trust and four for falsifying accounts - over her alleged role in siphoning church funds at City Harvest Church.

Bail for Wee was set at $500,000 while that for the other five, including founding pastor Kong Hee, had been extended.

Earlier, Kong arrived at the Subordinate Court on Wednesday at 8.55am for a second mention in a high-profile case involving alleged misuse of millions in church funds.

He was the last among the senior church members charged a month ago to enter Court 26, with at least 100 church members inside the gallery and another 100 more standing outside the courtroom.

Kong was not accompanied by his wife Ho Yeow Sun this time.

Kong, 47, and church management board member John Lam Leng Hung, 44, face three charges of criminal breach of trust.

Kong's deputy Tan Ye Peng, 39; church finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 36; and investment manager Chew Eng Han, 52 - face between seven and 10 charges of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts.

The first offence draws a maximum of 10 years' jail, and or a fine. The second, which Kong's charges come under, is punishable with a life sentence, or jail of up to 20 years and a fine.

An alleged $24 million from the mega-church's building fund was put into sham bond investments.
These investments in turn were channelled to finance the music career of Kong's pop celebrity wife Ho, 42. A further $26.6 million was allegedly used to cover up the initial $24 million.



<!--end of story text-->

 

[saratogas]

Can they use church funds for their bails...

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

[h=1]Where will the legal fees be paid from? From the church's donations.

City Harvest Church members hire legal heavyweights to represent them[/h]By Leonard Lim
<!--start of story text-->
The high-profile case involving the City Harvest Church looks set to be a dramatic - and costly - showdown with legal heavyweights getting into the fray.

With the exception of church founder Kong Hee, who is represented by Member of Parliament Edwin Tong, the five church members allegedly involved in the conspiracy have engaged Senior Counsels to be part of their legal team in court.

A Senior Counsel is a lawyer considered as an elite among the profession.

The five accused are CHC vice-chairman Tan Ye Peng, chairman John Lam Leng Hung, former finance chief Serina Wee, finance manager Sharon Tan and investment manager Chew Eng Han.

Lam has taken Senior Counsel Kenneth Tan and lawyer Nicholas Narayanan of Nicholas & Tan, while Tan is represented by SC Chelva Rajah and N Sreenivasan of Straits Law, Chew by SC Francis Xavier and Sharon Tan by SC Kannan Ramesh and Jeffrey Ong of JLC Advisors, and Wee by SC Andre Maniam.

<!--end of story text-->

 

[Kinana]

Can they use church funds for their bails...

Its possible, if the church council approves it.

 

[jw5]

City Harvest Church (CHC) ex-finance chief Serina Wee, 35, was charged on Wednesday morning with 10 criminal charges - six for criminal breach of trust and four for falsifying accounts - over her alleged role in siphoning church funds at City Harvest Church.

Bail for Wee was set at $500,000 while that for the other five, including founding pastor Kong Hee, had been extended.

Maternity leave over already?

 

[masgnoeL]

No need to defend. The more they defend, the worst it will be. I've watched one of the videos by Kong Hee, and in it, he mentioned that the church must expand into the government, something to that effect. No wonder CHC is targeted.

At least 18 months each for all of them.