After what seemed liked forever, the verdict has finally been delivered in the highly controversial case involving six City Harvest Church leaders.
Back in June 2012, they had been arrested, dragged to court and charged with conspiracy to commit criminal breach of trust for misusing a whopping amount of over $50 million of church funds. Most of it went to financing the music career of church founder Kong Hee’s wife, Sun Ho, in an initiative called the Crossover Project.
The Crossover Project’s goal was to use Ho’s music to evangelise, which must have been a success if you feel closer to God after watching this music video:
Asian cultural appropriation aside, the six leaders — Kong Hee, his deputy Tan Ye Peng, former church accountant Serina Wee, former church finance manager Sharon Tan, former investment manager Chew Eng Han and former church board member John Lam — have been found guilty of all charges.
Various media reports have confirmed that all six are convicted in two conspiracies of misusing church Building Fund monies to purchase sham bond investments to finance the Crossover Project. Over $50 million was misappropriated in total, including money used to cover up the first amount to defraud auditors by falsifying accounts.
Though five of them had all acted under the sway and genuine belief of Kong’s charismatic leadership, Presiding Judge of State Courts See Kee Oon noted that it does not exonerate them.
All six will be sentenced at a later date.
It’ll be a divine phenomenon if the faith of the megachurch’s members and followers remain unshaken even after the verdict. But then again, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the case’s outcome haven’t even caused a dent in the number of their congregation, such is their fervent zeal for the church.
