SINGAPORE - The six people on trial from City Harvest Church could not have harboured criminal intent if they had been using funds for the pop career of Ms Ho Yeow Sun in the same manner since 2003, defence counsel said last Friday.
Likewise, audit firm Baker Tilly kept the same "state of mind" towards church accounts throughout the entire period it served the church, as well as the church-linked music production firm Xtron.
To prove their point, lawyers Edwin Tong and Andre Maniam, representing pastor Kong Hee and former church finance manager Serina Wee, respectively, cited e-mails from far back as 2003.
Mr Tong said: "The state of mind of Baker Tilly internally in the way they assess the materials given to them ... was treated in a way in 2003, and continued to be so into the period of the charges in question."
Kong, Wee and four others are on trial for varying charges of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts in allegedly funnelling about $50 million of the church's building fund monies into alleged bogus deals between 2007 and 2009.
In 2003, former churchgoer Roland Poon flagged concerns about the misuse of church funds, prompting a special audit helmed by churchgoer and then Baker Tilly managing partner Foong Daw Ching. He made a video statement that it was his "professional opinion that no church funds were ever used" in promoting the career of Ms Ho, who is Kong's wife.
Parties came to a head last Friday over several documents the defence wanted to look at, but prosecutors said were not relevant. They include the firm's working papers for the FY2009 audit for Xtron, aborted after the probe was launched. These were not seized by the authorities. But working papers for the church's incomplete FY2010 audit are before the court."
All I can SAY is: It is finally coming to an end!
Lessons for me are:
1. churchgoers can give money to the church for all they want. Most will be extremely generous if they can help it as it is believed the 'whatever you give, it will come back to you multiply times'! So, it is one of the sayings of the Gospel of Wealth. Yes?;
2. having said that: when one churchgoer, or ex-churchgoer, questioned if the fund meant for the church had been diverted for other than the intended purpose, should he or she not ask? It is the basic fiduciary responsibility of people running a church fund with multi-million dollars to ensure that money raised for a certain purpose is only used for that purpose. No?;
3. while the prosecution is wrapping up the case, as represented by this news headlines, it is hope that justice be served and that if there were wrong doing by the laws of the land, the people responsible must be held accountable. Multi-million dollars DID and were spent on promoting Ms Ho's musical career though it was SUPPOSEDLY to spread the teaching of this CHC. Also, supposedly, the churchgoers are OK with the multi-million being SPENT in this manner! Though there were SOME, like Mr Roland Poon, who brought the issue up and triggered the special investigation, who have a PROBLEM with how the money meant for one purpose was diverted for another that they may not understand or agree!
A lot of taxpayers money had been invested in this case. I hope it is ALL worth it!!
Likewise, audit firm Baker Tilly kept the same "state of mind" towards church accounts throughout the entire period it served the church, as well as the church-linked music production firm Xtron.
To prove their point, lawyers Edwin Tong and Andre Maniam, representing pastor Kong Hee and former church finance manager Serina Wee, respectively, cited e-mails from far back as 2003.
Mr Tong said: "The state of mind of Baker Tilly internally in the way they assess the materials given to them ... was treated in a way in 2003, and continued to be so into the period of the charges in question."
Kong, Wee and four others are on trial for varying charges of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts in allegedly funnelling about $50 million of the church's building fund monies into alleged bogus deals between 2007 and 2009.
In 2003, former churchgoer Roland Poon flagged concerns about the misuse of church funds, prompting a special audit helmed by churchgoer and then Baker Tilly managing partner Foong Daw Ching. He made a video statement that it was his "professional opinion that no church funds were ever used" in promoting the career of Ms Ho, who is Kong's wife.
Parties came to a head last Friday over several documents the defence wanted to look at, but prosecutors said were not relevant. They include the firm's working papers for the FY2009 audit for Xtron, aborted after the probe was launched. These were not seized by the authorities. But working papers for the church's incomplete FY2010 audit are before the court."
All I can SAY is: It is finally coming to an end!
Lessons for me are:
1. churchgoers can give money to the church for all they want. Most will be extremely generous if they can help it as it is believed the 'whatever you give, it will come back to you multiply times'! So, it is one of the sayings of the Gospel of Wealth. Yes?;
2. having said that: when one churchgoer, or ex-churchgoer, questioned if the fund meant for the church had been diverted for other than the intended purpose, should he or she not ask? It is the basic fiduciary responsibility of people running a church fund with multi-million dollars to ensure that money raised for a certain purpose is only used for that purpose. No?;
3. while the prosecution is wrapping up the case, as represented by this news headlines, it is hope that justice be served and that if there were wrong doing by the laws of the land, the people responsible must be held accountable. Multi-million dollars DID and were spent on promoting Ms Ho's musical career though it was SUPPOSEDLY to spread the teaching of this CHC. Also, supposedly, the churchgoers are OK with the multi-million being SPENT in this manner! Though there were SOME, like Mr Roland Poon, who brought the issue up and triggered the special investigation, who have a PROBLEM with how the money meant for one purpose was diverted for another that they may not understand or agree!
A lot of taxpayers money had been invested in this case. I hope it is ALL worth it!!
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