SINGAPORE: The trial of six City Harvest Church leaders continued on Friday, with defence lawyers cross-examining Indonesian businessman Wahju Hanafi.
They sought to show that because the church wanted to buy a stake in Suntec City, the six accused, who are church leaders, then attempted to reclaim money from the church's investments and loans, as well as restructured bonds it had bought.
The defence lawyers argued that these financial transactions were legal, and no dishonest misappropriation of funds had been carried out.
Six leaders of the church are standing trial for allegedly misusing millions of dollars in church building funds to promote the singing career of Sun Ho, wife of church founder Kong Hee.
When questioned by the defence team, prosecution witness Mr Hanafi said he knew the transactions were for a legitimate purpose, and were "very, very legal".
Mr Hanafi, 53, owns Firna - one of the companies that have been named for allegedly helping the church leaders misuse the funds.
Defence lawyer N Sreenivasan pointed out that documents for the various financial transactions, such as the bond documentation, had been drafted by prominent law firms that included Drew & Napier and Rajah & Tann, and registered with the Central Bank in Indonesia.
He also said that the church's bond monies and those of its investment manager AMAC Capital Partners were paid back in full with interest.
The hearing continues on Monday.
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