What Are Your Predictions for City Harvest Case? Guilty or Not?

[sadfa]

Kong hee should explain wad on earth was he thinking.

Obviously sun Ho cannot make it in Usa with her being Asian, her age, looks n no talent. She can't even make it in Asian market! Even a b lister like Paris Hilton can't make it. Sun ho no chance la

If they want to invade US market, they might as well invest in a few locals n hope they become Taylor swift. After that, talk to their fans about church. Even if Sun Ho 20 years younger also no chance la

[FacesBook]

Breaking news!! Kong Hee sentenced to 8 years jail

[FacesBook]

Breaking news!! Chew Eng Han sentenced to 6 years jail

Serina Wee sentenced to 5 years jail
Tan Ye Peng sentenced to 6 years jail
John Lam sentenced to 3 years
Sharon Tan sentenced to 21 months jail.

[ringo6668]

Originally Posted by FacesBook

Breaking news!! Chew Eng Han sentenced to 6 years jail

Serina Wee sentenced to 5 years jail
Tan Ye Peng sentenced to 6 years jail
John Lam sentenced to 3 years
Sharon Tan sentenced to 21 months jail.

What they sow is what they get....its fair.

[newyorker88]

SO LITTLE FOR KONG HEE? Not a bad deal. makan n con so many people, 50 millions, 8 years only. Minus here n there, 6 years can come out.

[99099]

Originally Posted by newyorker88

SO LITTLE FOR KONG HEE? Not a bad deal. makan n con so many people, 50 millions, 8 years only. Minus here n there, 6 years can come out.

Many of my friends also said the same that the sentence was light.

[sammicheng1000]

The whole thing about this case is retarded church members willingly give then their money. Still refuse to see the truth but blindly insist they give him to spend as he like just because they don't want to lose face.

8yr lol, change place with him la give my family 25mil half price can Liao.

[S.B.Y.1]

All of them ought to be Crucified at Hong Lim Park

[Totallyuseless]

Too little jail sentence for too much damage done in the belief of GOD...
Me passing my nia

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

Thanks all for the updates.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...1/2278238.html

This, sadly, was the response of City Harvest Official:

Dear Church,

Today in court, Judge See Kee Oon delivered the following sentences on the six in the CHC case:

8 years for Pastor Kong
5 years 6 months for Pastor Tan
5 years for Serina
3 years for John
21 months for Sharon, and
6 years for Chew Eng Han.

After discussion with their lawyers, all six have asked for the start of their sentences to be deferred to after Christmas. The judge has agreed to this, setting the date at 11 January 2016. All six also told the court that they are still contemplating appealing against the convictions and/or sentences. Bail has been extended for all six.

We want to thank each and every one of you, our church members, for demonstrating such strength and unity throughout all these years, and particularly in these last few extremely difficult months. We ask you to remember and hold close to your heart the call of God upon City Harvest Church. We have learned lately what it means to have faith, trust and rest in God—let us put what we have learned to practice. Let’s band together to fulfill the heavenly calling for us through CHC 2.0.

Let us continue to pray for the six and their families as they prepare for this next step in the legal process. May God grant them grace and the peace that surpasses understanding.

In Christ,
Pastor Aries Zulkarnain
Pastor Bobby Chaw
Sun Ho

[spluder101]

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

Chew Eng Hen's sad story:

http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-new...e-anything-now

He was the loyal follower who rose quickly through the ranks at City Harvest Church (CHC).

But after Chew Eng Han and five others from the church, including founder Kong Hee, were arrested, that loyalty counted for nothing.

He grilled Kong Hee in court during the trial. He singled out the former pastor for the mess they were in.

He blamed vanity for Kong’s persistence in pursuing his wife’s pop-star ambition.

Chew let fly at in a two hour interview with The New Paper on Sunday.

Chew says he left CHC in 2013 partly because of how Kong Hee and his wife had misled a small group of donors who had been supporting the livelihood of the couple.

He adds that Kong did so by showing the donors “false accounts”.

The money was channelled to a multi-purpose account (MPA), a trust fund that comprised of personal donations — “love gifts” — from about 40 of Kong’s closest supporters, court proceedings showed.

The MPA was used by Kong Hee and Ms Ho, whose stage name was Sun Ho, for their personal expenses including travel, medical bills, hair and make-up.

The New Paper on Sunday had provided a breakdown on Nov 8 based on documents tendered in court.

Chew and his wife had donated “hundreds of thousands” in love gifts to the MPA from 2007 to 2009.

They gave to the MPA because Kong Hee and Ms Ho were “labouring for the Lord” and had announced that they had taken themselves off the CHC payroll in 2005.

“They need to survive. That’s what we think. No salary, poor thing. Let’s donate love gifts.”

They had no idea what the money was used on, or who else contributed to it, as Kong Hee and his subordinates did not reveal the full accounts for the monies from 2007 to 2009 to the donors.

The donors had no issue because the money was meant for the couple anyway, says Chew.

TURNING POINT
In 2010, Kong Hee held a meeting for all the MPA donors for the first time and presented a spreadsheet showing that the fund was in deficit.

Says Chew: “He wanted more money... So he gives us an impression that the collection from us is not enough to cover the expenses.

“Then, he gave us a form to write down how much more we think we can increase our gifts in the coming year, and the aim was to try to prod us to achieve a certain targeted amount.”

It turned out in later investigations that Ms Ho and Kong had been withdrawing more than $400,000 from the MPA as part of Ms Ho’s salary, royalties and bonuses for her music career.

This was not told to the MPA donors during the meeting, as Kong admitted in court that CHC had a practice of keeping its members’ income confidential.

Says Chew: “We had no clue before that first MPA meeting in 2010 that he had been collecting (more than) a million dollars.

“It was emotional (when he showed us the MPA was in deficit). It was like: ‘Poor Pastor Kong, he’s got so much expenses because he is involved in the Crossover Project.’

He says the Commercial Affairs Department questioned fellow accused Serina Wee why she kept two separate spreadsheets on the MPA cash-flow, one to show to the MPA donors and another showing that Sun Ho was paid monies from the account.

Chew says: “She (Wee) said that it was because Sun’s salary is very sensitive. But it should not be sensitive to the 50 of us because we already intended to give to her (Ms Ho) anyway.”

Chew quit the church in February 2013 after 18 years.

He said that ordinary church members who donated to the church, building fund and the Crossover Project sacrificed their own well-being instead.

He recalled a story of a CHC member who donated “a lot” of his earnings to the building fund.

Says Chew: “He came in early to the office to eat biscuits and save money. The office biscuits.

“So, my friend (who was his employer) asked him, why are you eating biscuits every morning? He said that it was so he could sacrifice and give more to the fund.”

Chew personally donated about $600,000 to the building fund and to Sun Ho’s artiste management company, Xtron Productions, in total, according to court proceedings.

He says: “These people are all living difficult lives, you know? Even for myself, for all the earnings I have given, I could have saved or multiplied it for my own children.

“I hardly have anything now, because I believed in this vision, in serving God.”

Kong and Ms Ho did not reply to our repeated requests for comment.

JUDGE: KONG HEE EXPLOITED CHEW
Kong Hee had exploited Chew, said State Courts Presiding Judge See Kee Oon in his written judgement last month.

“Eng Han’s forceful personality, coupled with his determination and drive to achieve his objectives, was recognised and exploited by Kong Hee,” said Judge See.

“They tapped on and fuelled each other’s drive, one as a spiritual leader and the other as a finance expert.

But Chew had his failings too.

The judge found that Chew expected no losses from using the building fund to fund the Crossover Project because he thought “everything in City Harvest that was done, succeeded”.

“That is surely a bold and sweeping exaggeration that gives the lie to the extravagant overconfidence that characterised his conduct and mindset,” he said.

Chew Eng Han first joined City Harvest Church (CHC) in December 1995 after he was introduced to the church by his nephew.

He converted to Christianity that day and rose through the ranks.

He started as a cell group leader in 1997 and became a CHC board member in April 1999.

Chew, 55, said: “(Kong Hee) picked me because I was very dedicated to the church. A very hardworking labourer for God.”

Chew then was also the head of State Street Bank.

“He probably chose me as well because at that time, there were not many professionals working in the church (who were) earning so much money.

“I never felt attracted to the position. To me was just a chance to serve even more effectively.”

The church also experienced a massive swell in its congregation size between 1995 and 1997, he says.

When he joined in 1995, there were just 1,300 members.

That number doubled the following year before increasing to 5,000 in 1997.

“At that time, we were still good. I think it was the presence of God (and) the pure worship. This was 1996, 1997, 1998.

“These three years the atmosphere was pure. The staff were all very hardworking and dedicated to the Kingdom,” he says.

Chew went on to become a key figure in the church’s hunt for a new worship premise as well as the structuring of the Xtron and Firna bonds.

DONATIONS
Chew Eng Han questioned the size of the medical expenses chalked up by the couple.

According to court documents, they spent around $140,000 in 2007, and around $180,000 in 2008 and 2009 on medical bills.

“I only see one issue of Kong and Sun who were living it up. But when they presented the MPA (to us), they make it seem like they are so sacrificial and are having a hard time,” says Chew.

Former CHC member Jean Jacques Lavigne tells TNP that he believes the way MPA was dealt with remained a sore point for him till today.

He left the church in 2013 after being a member for 15 years. By then, he had already donated a “five-figure sum” to support Kong believing that it had gone into the MPA.

This was on top of his regular tithes and donations to the church and the building fund.

Says Mr Lavigne, a CEO of a superyacht firm: “When he comes to the givers, he would say, ‘Oh you are so good to me, dear MPA givers, this is how much you gave me. But I’m spending so much. Could you give a bit more?’ So, people give a bit more.”

But he did not know that Sun Ho had been drawing out around $400,000 as royalties, bonuses and salaries every year.

He only found out when Chew told him about it.

[skyleon]

City Harvest appeal: Transactions 'beyond reproach' and no personal gain for Kong Hee, says lawyer

By


Kelly Ng

Published: 4:08 PM, September 15, 2016

Updated: 7:10 PM, September 15, 2016



SINGAPORE — City Harvest Church leaders made no “wrong use” of the mega-church's building funds by investing them in bonds to fund an evangelistic project, and these decisions had been affirmed by financial and legal advisors whom they “openly and almost religiously” consulted, argued lawyer Edwin Tong, as he began his appeal to overturn the conviction of church founder Kong Hee on Thursday (Sept 15).

“The conduct of the accused persons in checking, verifying (prospective transactions with the professionals) served to benefit the church...Which dishonest person goes back a second time to the auditor and asks him to look at the bonds critically (to ensure that) it is legally above board,” he asked.


Kong’s appeal is the second of six appeals by current and former church leaders convicted last October for the unauthorised use of S$24 million in church building funds for the music career of his wife Ho Yeow Sun, “round-tripping” transactions worth S$26.6 million to create the impression that sham investments had been redeemed, and falsification of accounts.


continue reading here : http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...-gain-kong-hee

[skyleon]

City Harvest appeal: Bonds were genuine investments,says John Lam


By


Amanda Lee


Published: 10:31 AM, September 15, 2016

Updated: 6:40 PM, September 15, 2016



SINGAPORE – Former City Harvest Church (CHC) board member John Lam believed that the bonds used in music production company Xtron and glass manufacturer Firna were genuine investments for the church's "Crossover Project", said his lawyers in his appeal case in the High Court on Thursday (Sept 15).

Lam was one of six CHC leaders found guilty of misappropriating S$50.6 million in church funds almost a year ago. All six are back in court, starting Thursday, to appeal against their convictions and sentences.
In the written submissions for the case, Lam’s lawyers said that the former secretary of the church's management board did not know during the period of Jan 18, 2007 to Aug 23, 2007 that the Xtron bond was a sham. He also did not know during the time from July 24, 2008 to Oct 6, 2008 that the Firna bond was a shame.

“Absent knowledge that the bonds were shams, John Lam could not abet a conspiracy to invest church building funds in sham bonds," said his lawyers Senior Counsel Kenneth Tan and Nicholas Narayanan.

Lam, 47, was sentenced to three years' jail in October last year, after he was convicted for three charges of criminal breach of trust.

"The fatal flaw in the (district) judge's conviction of John Lam for having participated in two separate conspiracies involving sham investments in two separate companies is that in the context and in the circumstances of the separate Xtron and Firna bonds, it is not an inexorable and irresistible inference – which is the high threshold imposed for inferring a conspiracy – that John Lam knew that the bonds were a shame," they added.

Church founder Kong Hee, his deputy Tan Ye Peng, former church investment manager Chew Eng Han, former church accountant Serina Wee Gek Yin, former church finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen and former church board member John Lam Leng Hung were convicted of varying charges of criminal breach of trust and/or falsification of accounts. They had used church fund monies to buy sham bond investments to finance the Crossover Project — which aims to use the music of church co-founder and Kong's wife Sun Ho to evangelise — and thereafter misused church funds to cover up the first amount by falsifying accounts. More than S$50 million was found to have been misappropriated.


continue reading here : http://www.todayonline.com/chc-trial...ments-john-lam

[wangzzz]

Originally Posted by S.B.Y.1

All of them ought to be Crucified at Hong Lim Park

Pak,
should throw them inside Nusa Kambangan prison.