City Harvest church founder Kong Hee and 4 others arrested
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Originally posted by alize:
In Singapore, proselytizing to people of other religions and openly encouraging conversions to your religion is a sensitive thing.
I think it MIGHT be acceptable to do it on an individual basis and not target any specific religous group. I don't know what you are doing out there, but when you describe it like in your last paragraph, it sounds out of bounds.
Dunno about singapore but in my country it is safe to proselyte to non-muslims. Doing that to muslims is suicide unless it is the muslim who is preaching their religion to you.
Not targeting specific groups, just that in my course of voluntering in our charity branch, we always get a lot of visitors who came from broken christian background or just mere visitors of the church who left because they felt alienated by the politics there. Besides christians, we also have a lot of people who don't have religion who live under poverty and come to us for social help.
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Originally posted by Medicated Oil:
He got greater calling in the prison where there are more lost sheeps that require his leadership and guidance.
He can show his faith without the riches and good life.
It is a tougher and better test to his faith.
It is a good thing.
Damn right !This is how Kong Hee show his sincerity because he is going to jail for rest of his life, anyway.
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Originally posted by ulquiorra87:
these types of people are the worst - Hypocrisy and Greed at its height
Pastor: 'Donate to the church for a good cause and its the only way you can get to the kingdom of heaven!! Other than... being a true believer but nevermind that!! Oh By the way buy my wife's album.'
Stupid guy: 'Ok wise pastor!! .. Wait how about you shouldn't you donate too?'
Pastor: 'Its god's will for the rich to be well financially endowed'
And so it became god's will for the pastor to help himself with funds and build his kingdom of heaven - in reality.
*rolls eyes*
Does anybody know where kong hee and sun lives? What car they drive?They likely to own some mansion in sentosa cove and own several bentleys.
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his chinese name is 康希. it reminds me of 康熙, the great emperor ever.
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Originally posted by speakoutfor:
Does anybody know where kong hee and sun lives? What car they drive?They likely to own some mansion in sentosa cove and own several bentleys.
They live in sentosa cove.
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Indian national buys Susan Lim's Sentosa Cove home for $39 million
http://www.asiaone.com/Business/My+Money/Property/Story/A1Story20120302-331133.html
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Sun Ho's grand lifestyleMdm Yeow Sun Ho, the wife of Pastor Kong Hee and pop star was reported in the news as living in luxury in Los Angeles in 28,000/month mansion. The New Paper camped near her rented mansion at Hollywood Hills, LA and observed a black SUV and Mercedes Benz driving in/out from the premises.
The estate has an area equivalent to at least five Singaporean typical 5 room flat...
http://www.psa91.com/cityharvest7.htm...
Pastor’s wife lives lavishly in L.A.
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As far as I see it this case got nothing to do with religion. It's clear cut CBT. In Singapore there are proper accounting procedures to adhere to whether you are a temple church mosque or nunnery. whether one thinks he is anointed or hears God speaking to him and telling him to round trip money thro Indonesian company or whatever is completely irrelevant!
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Originally posted by Bikeforceful:
As far as I see it this case got nothing to do with religion. It’s clear cut CBT. In Singapore there are proper accounting procedures to adhere to whether you are a temple church mosque or nunnery. whether one thinks he is anointed or hears God speaking to him and telling him to round trip money thro Indonesian company or whatever is completely irrelevant!
eer... he uses religion as a tool for his gains
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The amazing thing is you have someone from the organisation wanting to elicit an apology from the COC for stating their findings, claiming it to be defamatory- when the COC has the right to state their findings in their capacity anyway. That is why IMO, the NCCS should simply not coment on the case - but should also not publicly a tthis point tell the various denominational members to ask their congregation to pray for KONG and his merry brood. It does send the wrong signals - as if the NCCS could think that the COC and the CAD are possibly wrong? Does the head of the NCCS understand what is round tripping? and falsifying accounts?
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City Harvest talking points
Answers are pieced together from COC, CAD and CHC statements
How were the church funds diverted to fund Ms Ho Yeow Sun's music career?
Between 2007 and 2010, a portion of the church's funds was used to finance her career under the guise of donations to its affiliated church in Kuala Lumpur.
At least $2.1m was then transmitted by this affiliate church to the US to fund her career.
In addition, donations and tithes to the church were transferred into a private fund known as the Multi-Purpose Account, which was used to fund her career.
This account was allegedly kept secret from most of the church members.
There was also an attempt to conceal the existence of the account by closing its joint bank account and dealing only in cash, which was kept in a safe at the church.
About $3m from the account was said to have been used for Ms Ho's expenditures.
Some donations to the church's Building Fund were also diverted to the secret account via "refunds" to donors, who indicated that they wanted the monies to go to specific pastors and employees of the charity as "love gifts".
The recipients of the gifts would then deposit the money in the secret account.
Who knew these practices were going on?
For the diversion of funds from the affiliate church inKL to the US, Mr Tan Ye Peng (vice-chairman), MrKelvin Teo Meng How (board member), MsSharon Tan Shao Yuen (board member) and MsSerina Wee Gek Yin (ex-finance manager and board member) were aware of the true purpose of the "donations".
Ms Wee and Ms Jacqueline Tan Su Pheng (former personal assistant to Mr Kong and board member) were the ones who administered the multi-purpose account.
The plan to divert monies from the building fund to the secret account via "refunds" was conceptualised by Mr Chew Eng Han (board member), Mr Tan, Ms Wee and Ms Tan.
What action has been taken against those involved?
The following have been suspended from their roles on the church's board:
Mr Kong Hee (member of charity's board and executive member)
Mr Lam Leng Hung (chairman of charity's board, trustee, agent and executive member)
Mr Tan Ye Peng (vice-chairman of charity's board, trustee, employee, agent and executive member) Ms Sharon Tan Shao Yuen (employee and executive member)
Mr Chew Eng Han (agent and executive member)
Ms Ho Yeow Sun (agent and executive member)
Mr Kelvin Teo Meng How (agent, employee and executive member)
Ms Jacqueline Tan Su Pheng (employee and executive member)
The following have been arrested by the Commercial Affairs Department: Mr Kong, Mr Lam, Mr Tan, Ms Sharon Tan and Mr Chew.
What happens to City HarvestChurch?
There is no case being brought against the church.
The CHC Advisory Committee, comprising Dr Phil Pringle, founder and Senior Minister of Christian City Church in Sydney, and Dr A R Bernard, founder and CEO of Christian Cultural Centre in New York, will continue to provide spiritual leadership.
Both pastors were appointed advisory senior pastors over CHC.
The Church Management Board continues to provide guidance on the running of the church.
Church operations and cell group meetings will continue as usual, including all weekend services at Singapore Expo and Jurong West.
This article was first published in The New Paper. -
where are the pictures of the others arrested?
shame them in public
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Understandable for City Harvest Church to support leaders: Sam Tan
SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Sam Tan, said the City Harvest Church members' support for their leaders is understandable.
He said the public's response to the court case has been forthcoming and rational.
"It is understandable, that there will always be supporters to the leaders, and it is also completely understandable for them to express their support to their leaders. And it is also completely understandable for people who hold different views, to also express such views.
"So I hope that whether supporters, or people who are having a different opinion, can express such opinions in a very rational manner so as to encourage further discourse.
"I think in the process of court hearing, we will let the law take its course to decide whether all those points are substantiated or not.
"I think so far, it's been forthcoming, by and large, still quite rational."
In a statement released on Thursday, City Harvest Church (CHC) said it stands by the five members of the church who have been charged with misuse of church funds.
Mr Aries Zulkarnain, the executive pastor and a founding member of the church, said that Commissioner of Charities (COC) has confirmed that Mr Kong Hee, the senior pastor, and Mr Tan Ye Peng, the deputy senior pastor will continue to preach at the church.
- CNA/ck -
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I doubt the couple dares to stand up on pulpit or appear in public again if they are convicted.
They talking big now......see how the court will tear their reputation apart.....
and see how some unkind people.....churchgoers or not.......going to react on them......
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Given the details of the circumstances read in the media about round tripping and falsifying of accounts etc. Logically they should be suspended from any preaching for the moment. It's also for their own good less they continue to prejudice their own case! Imagine if you are checking on a bank officer suspected of some wrong doing like misappropriation etc...you normal suspend him or her from normal duties until investigations are over ...you certainly must be mad to allow the person to still handle money in the bank... so similarly It is hard to understand they are allowed to continue preaching. their prosperity sermons!
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Originally posted by laurence82:
CHC is not a member of NCCS
Precisely! so the NCCS shld just steer clear of the issue and not ask its denominational members to encourage their congregation to pray for Kong! Unless he clarifies further by saying whether Kong is innocent or guilty, we pray that he emerges a better person thro this experience. Don't send wrong signals! -
It is all a sham, a gigantic fraud
they are in it for the cash
Christanity is on the decline in the west, accelerated by the sexual abuse of minors
knowing this, they quickly moved in to cash in as much as possible before the inevitable collapse
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Originally posted by Bikeforceful:
Precisely! so the NCCS shld just steer clear of the issue and not ask its denominational members to encourage their congregation to pray for Kong! Unless he clarifies further by saying whether Kong is innocent or guilty, we pray that he emerges a better person thro this experience. Don't send wrong signals!Telling ppl to pray for Kong is nothing. People do pray for sinners. Pray for sinners' souls and that God have mercy on them.
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Come to think of it, how CHC managed the money, falsified its accounts, and misled volunteers, is really their own internal problem. And the volunteers were willing, look they still support him.
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Who is City Harvest's Wahju Hanafi?
Indonesian businessman Wahju Hanafi, the other beneficiary of funds allegedly diverted from City Harvest Church (CHC) to further Sun Ho's music career, is a man with multiple links to the church, its founder Kong Hee and affiliated companies.
The prosecution's charges against Kong and four other senior CHC members yesterday said that alleged dishonest transfers of $11 million from CHC's building fund to PT The First National Glassware between Oct 6, 2008 and June 19, 2009 were meant to fund Ms Ho's career and "for the purpose of providing funds to one Wahju Hanafi".
Mr Hanafi joined the church in the early 1990s, Kong wrote in a 2008 article in CHC newsletter Harvest Times. In that article, Kong also mentions that Mr Hanafi bought a major glass factory in Indonesia in early 2007, tripling his personal net worth.
Back in 1986, he founded Super Value Stores, a general merchandise retail chain which now has 14 branches and more than 1,100 employees, according to its corporate website. Mr Hanafi is listed as its managing director.The accused and their charges
Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST)
City Harvest church founder, 4 others charged in court
Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, AsiaOne, Reuters)
Church leaders questioned over misuse of funds
Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: City Harvest Church, Wanbao, AsiaOne, ST)
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Information from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) shows that Mr Hanafi is a Singapore permanent resident who is both a director and shareholder of two other locally registered companies: Harvest Glass and Creative Glass.
Acra records also show that Mr Hanafi used to hold posts in companies linked to CHC, Kong and his wife, Ms Ho.
He was a director from June 2003 to July 2008 of Xtron Productions, which according to media reports is Ms Ho's artiste management firm and which also supplies the church with video and audio equipment. Xtron is one of the two companies that the five are alleged to have diverted church funds to.
From September 2004 to January 2005, Mr Hanafi was also a director of Skin Couture, the fashion retailer co-owned by Kong and Ms Ho.
Media reports yesterday said that the Sentosa Cove penthouse that Kong, his wife and their seven-year-old son now live in is registered under two names: Kong Hee and Wahju Hanafi.
Mr Hanafi was also mentioned in the Commissioner of Charities' (COC) release on Tuesday as having donated $600,000 to CHC's building fund.
COC said that some senior church members came up with a plan around April 2009 to transfer Mr Hanafi's donation from the building fund to a private account, to finance a project aimed at connecting with non-Christians via Ms Ho's secular music.
The inquiry found that CHC had drafted letters from Mr Hanafi and another person indicating that their donations were "love gifts" to specific CHC pastors and employees. But evidence uncovered by the commission suggested that these "refund" letters were backdated. -
Originally posted by ditzy:
Come to think of it, how CHC managed the money, falsified its accounts, and misled volunteers, is really their own internal problem. And the volunteers were willing, look they still support him.
it cannot be an internal problem anymore if Kong Hee decided to register the orgn under Charity, which he did and this means it will be ruled by the law of Charity Act blah blah blah.
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ok then I got nothing to say, because I always think our govt just like to clamp down on people who make big money too fast.
