SINGAPORE — A packed court room will on Friday morning (April 7) hear the results of the appeal by six former City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders against their convictions and sentences.
A sign placed outside the Supreme Court around 7am said all queue tickets for the hearing had been given out. Dozens of people had reportedly queued overnight to secure a seat for the highly-watched outcome of the appeal.
(Photo: Low Youjin/TODAY)
The judgement is expected to be delivered around 9.30am. Here’s a snapshot of the case:
KEY PLAYERS:
– CHC’s founder-pastor Kong Hee; sentenced to eight years’ jail
– Kong’s former second-in-command Tan Ye Peng; sentenced to five years and six months’ jail
– former church board member John Lam; sentenced to three years’ jail
– former church fund manager Chew Eng Han; sentenced to six years’ jail
– former church finance manager Serina Wee; sentenced to five years’ jail
– former church finance manager Sharon Tan; sentenced to 21 months’ jail
THE CASE:
In October 2015, the six were found guilty of misusing church funds to finance the pop music career of Kong’s wife Ho Yeow Sun — better known as Sun Ho — via the church’s Crossover Project, which aimed to use her music to evangelise.
They were found to have invested S$24 million of church building funds to buy sham bonds from music production company Xtron and glass manufacturer Firna to do so, and later misused another S$26.6 million to cover up the first sum. They were convicted of varying counts of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts. All six appealed against their convictions and sentences.
The prosecution, however, has called for longer deterrent sentences and wants five to 12 years for the six former church leaders.
