SINGAPORE: The prosecution in the case involving City Harvest Church leaders sought to discredit its own key witness on Thursday as it wrapped up its questioning of the Indonesian businessman.
Fifty-three-year-old Wahju Hanafi was grilled over several discrepancies, key of which was the date he signed a personal guarantee.
The long-time church member had signed an agreement to guarantee events company Xtron Productions which he was a director of.
Xtron was singer Sun Ho's former management company.
With the personal guarantee, Mr Hanafi agreed to incur the losses of the church's Crossover Project which aims to reach out to the secular world through Ms Ho's music.
The prosecution questioned Mr Hanafi on when did he signed the document. The businessman replied that he did so around August 15, 2007.
The prosecution then cited Xtron Director, Choong Kar Weng's evidence, saying Mr Choong signed it in 2010.
As more documents surfaced, the court heard how Serina Wee, one of the six church leaders on trial, said in an email to co-accused Chew Eng Han and Tan Ye Peng that she had dated the personal guarantees on August 15, 2007.
Wee's email was sent on March 30, 2010.
In another email dated March 31, 2010, Chew informed church founder Kong Hee that Mr Hanafi had signed the personal guarantee.
When asked repeatedly about when he signed the personal guarantee, Mr Hanafi said he could not remember.
Another personal guarantee was also shown in court.
This was one where Kong, Tan, Chew and former Xtron Director, Koh Siow Ngea, agreed to guarantee Mr Hanafi in the event he failed to redeem the church-Firna bonds.
Mr Hanafi testified that he sought such a guarantee from Chew.
The prosecution sought to establish that this church-Firna personal guarantee negates the purpose of Mr Hanafi's agreement to incur the losses of the church's Crossover Project.
Another key issue is the need to borrow money from an individual known as Mr Suhadirman, among others.
In records kept by Wee, the court heard how Mr Hanafi borrowed S$3 million from Mr Suhadirman in April 2010 and gave the money to Xtron.
This prompted the prosecution's question on why there was a need to loan Xtron the amount, especially when the Crossover Project wasn't managed by Xtron at that point in time.
The witness explained he had a personal guarantee with Xtron.
Mr Hanafi said: "I just...I just...because I have a personal guarantee in there (Xtron). And if they have a need, that's where I come up with all these means and ways to try to borrow from other people in the meantime, rather than liquidating all my property and assets.
"And these people (referring to individuals like Mr Suhadirman) lent it to me because they know I have something to back up (the loan)."
Earlier in the day, the prosecution continued to seek to prove that the money pumped into Firna, which was owned by Mr Hanafi, was from the church.
Throughout the five days on the stand, Mr Hanafi has maintained that he was the one financing Firna.
In more emails admitted on Thursday, the prosecution pointed out that if this was the case, then he should not be asking church leaders, who are currently on trial, what he should do.
The court also heard how Wee instructed Mr Hanafi to complete all transactions by a certain date.
The prosecution argues that this was done as the six accused needed Mr Hanafi to comply so as to facilitate their "round-tripping" of funds through "sham bond investments".
Wee, Kong and four others are accused of misusing S$24 million of church funds to finance the singing career of Ms Ho, wife of the founder.
Four of the six are alleged to have used another S$26 million to cover up the misuse through "round-tripping".
The defence team is expected to cross-examine Mr Hanafi on September 6.
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