SINGAPORE – A Singapore court rejected on Thursday a prosecution appeal to reinstate a longer jail sentence for the co-founder of a popular church who was convicted of misusing millions of dollars to support his wife’s pop-singing career.

The ruling ended nearly five years of legal battles by Kong Hee, who co-founded the City Harvest Church, which gripped a city-state where there is little tolerance for corruption and where such cases of fraud mixed with faith have been rare.

Kong, 53, was originally sentenced to eight years in jail in October 2015 for criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts. The High Court reduced that sentence last April to three-and-a-half years.

The prosecution appealed against that decision, asking for the original sentence to be reinstated, but the Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that the High Court’s decision would remain.

The Court of Appeal also rejected appeals by prosecutors against the sentencing of four other church leaders, who will continue to serve reduced sentences.

Kong was found guilty of misusing $50 million of church money to fund his wife’s musical career. Domestic media have reported it was the largest amount of charity funds ever misappropriated in Singapore.

The once-glamorous founding pastor of City Harvest, known for his electrifying Sunday services, wore purple prison garb for the court appearance, his hair noticeably greyed.

Kong smiled and acknowledged with a wave more than 50 of his supporters, some of whom had waited outside the court from 6 a.m.

City Harvest Church preaches a “prosperity gospel” that blends spiritual and material aspirations.

Kong’s wife, Ho Yeow Sun – known as Sun Ho – is famous for a video of her English-language hit “China Wine”, which shows her dancing intimately with rapper Wyclef Jean.

Defence lawyers had said Sun Ho’s music career was used to evangelise. She was not charged in the case.

While megachurches originated in the United States, some of the largest are in Asia, where packaging the traditional biblical message into a more dynamic format of pop music, lively services and social media has lured a new generation of followers and turned the churches into major enterprises.

City Harvest had a congregation of 15,923 and more than 50 affiliations in China, the United States, and seven other countries in 2016, according to its latest annual report.

A 43-year-old man has been ordered by the Court on Tuesday (Jan 30) to pay a fine of $305,748 for immoral earnings from a website advertising sexual services. He was also ordered to pay a penalty of $20,217 for evading income tax.

Chue Chia Yong was sentenced to 12 months and two weeks jail on Feb 17, 2016, for living on the earnings of the prostitution of another person, possessing and transmitting obscene films, and using the benefits from criminial conduct. 

Investigations in 2014 revealed that Chue operated the website www.SGsexcapades.net to advertise the sexual services of more than 130 women. He uploaded photos of scantily clad women onto the website and charged each of them for monthly advertising fees.

During that period, Chue accumulated an unexplained wealth of $523,000, according to investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD). He used around $45,200 on the monthly rental of a condominium unit and loan repayment of a luxury car.

CAD said Chue’s total realisable assets, comprising his bank account balances and sales proceeds from his car, were in excess of $300,000. Upon his conviction, CAD sought a confiscation order against Chue to have his residual illegal assets forfeited on Jan 30.

Police said anyone who contravenes the offence of knowingly living wholly or in part on the earnings of a prostitute can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $10,000 and, any male person who is convicted of a second or subsequent offence shall, in addition to any term of imprisonment imposed in respect of such offence, be liable to caning.

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An elderly woman rented out her flat to her newlywed grandson, only to discover that her home had been cleared out after returning nearly a year later.

In a fit of rage, the 79-year-old woman called the police.

She told Lianhe Wanbao that she has worked, scrimped and saved her whole life before she could finally afford a 4-room flat 10 years ago at Block 79E Toa Payoh Central.

The woman’s eldest grandson, Mr Liang Ruilin said that the grandchildren are not close and rarely contact each other.

Mr Liang Ruilin said that after his grandmother bought her house, she rented it to her youngest son, who lived there for nearly nine years, while she herself stayed at a Whampoa Drive shophouse where she worked.

However, Mr Liang Ruilin said ever since his aunt took over the shophouse, his grandmother would pay her daughter $2,000 every month for rent.

The grandchild who is accused of clearing out flat is also the son of the current shophouse owner.

Mr Liang Ruilin revealed that about a year ago, his cousin claimed that he and his wife were unsuccessful in their application for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat.

They then asked his grandmother to let them stay in her flat.

Mr Liang Ruilin said: “There was no formal contract, and they would pay my grandmother $500 for rent.

“It’s largely a symbolic gesture. He and his wife don’t even visit her frequently.”

On December 2016, Mr Liang Ruilin’s father, Mr Liang Xuzhen, 59, instructed by his grandmother, pasted a notice outside her flat, claiming that if the couple did not wish to pay $3,000 rent each month, they would need to move out.

Mr Liang Xuzhen said that his nephew moved out of the flat about two weeks ago, but when he returned on Jan 21, 2018, he found that the unit had been secured with a new lock.

He then approached a locksmith for help to remove the lock.

Said Mr Liang Xuzhen: “What’s worse was that the entire house had been cleared out. The electrical sockets, lights, heater, cabinets and air-conditioning units were all removed. The water and power had been cut as well. We immediately called the police.”

Mr Liang Xuzhen pointed out that he had engaged a contractor to check on the wiring of the unit, but was told that if he wishes to repair the wiring, they would have to knock down the walls in the unit.

The elderly woman shed tears as Mr Liang Xuzhen spoke about the incident, lamenting that she had worked hard all these years to bring up her children.

She could not understand how her grandson could act in this manner.

In response to media queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged.