SINGAPORE: More light was shed on the role of trustees of City Harvest Church as the trial of the six church leaders accused of misusing church funds continued on Monday.
In an email sent by accused Serina Wee to Chew Eng Han in November 2008, she said one of the trustees had remarked about signing documents blindly. That trustee was Mdm Susan Ong, wife of former CHC pastor, Derek Dunn.
When asked, Mdm Ong said she could not recall this.
The 46-year-old told the court that Xtron Productions was not a "sham" company. She said Xtron, which used to manage singer Sun Ho, was not a shell company, so the bonds issued to the church were authentic.
Mdm Ong continued, saying if there were "sham bond investments" as claimed by the prosecution, church members would have found out about the "fraudulent" transactions.
Replying to the defence, she said Chew was chosen to decide on the investments the church should make as he had the necessary expertise, as opposed to the trustees and the management board.
Thus, AMAC Capital, which is owned by Chew, was given the power by the trustees to make those decisions.
Chew, an investment manager by profession, was with the church for 17 years till he announced his decision to leave the church in June, citing differences in opinions with the leadership.
During the prosecution's questioning earlier, the court heard that AMAC Capital was not required specifically to keep church trustees informed of what it would do.
Mdm Ong also admitted that the trustees were not consulted on bond investments and personal guarantees that AMAC Capital made.
During the defence's cross-examination, she further testified that the church's investment committee and management board were given the mandate to invest excess building funds. When asked specifically by the defence if the church suffered any loss, the prosecution witness replied that there was no loss made.
During re-examination by the prosecution, Mdm Ong acknowledged that as a trustee, she signed documents approved by the management board but would not ensure the authenticity of those documents.
Several times during the hearing, Mdm Ong attested to the character of singer Sun Ho, wife of one of the accused, Kong Hee. She said church members knew Ms Ho was the chosen one to reach out to the secular world and said the singer was "wholesome".
Later in the day, Indonesian businessman Wahju Hanafi took the stand again, continuing from last Friday. The court heard how he donated millions of dollars to the church and in January 2004, asked the church to refund him S$1.45 million.
When grilled on who the donations belonged to, Mr Wahju admitted that it was the church's but described the refund as "a diversion of the purpose".
The money was channelled into the Crossover Project, of which Ms Ho is part of.
The prosecution also sought to show that certain documents, in particular, a board resolution, were backdated. On this, Mr Wahju said it didn't matter to him if it was.
Church founder Kong Hee, Chew, Wee and three others are accused of misusing S$24 million from the church's building fund to boost Ms Ho's career and using another S$26 million to cover up the initial sum.
In an email sent by accused Serina Wee to Chew Eng Han in November 2008, she said one of the trustees had remarked about signing documents blindly. That trustee was Mdm Susan Ong, wife of former CHC pastor, Derek Dunn.
When asked, Mdm Ong said she could not recall this.
The 46-year-old told the court that Xtron Productions was not a "sham" company. She said Xtron, which used to manage singer Sun Ho, was not a shell company, so the bonds issued to the church were authentic.
Mdm Ong continued, saying if there were "sham bond investments" as claimed by the prosecution, church members would have found out about the "fraudulent" transactions.
Replying to the defence, she said Chew was chosen to decide on the investments the church should make as he had the necessary expertise, as opposed to the trustees and the management board.
Thus, AMAC Capital, which is owned by Chew, was given the power by the trustees to make those decisions.
Chew, an investment manager by profession, was with the church for 17 years till he announced his decision to leave the church in June, citing differences in opinions with the leadership.
During the prosecution's questioning earlier, the court heard that AMAC Capital was not required specifically to keep church trustees informed of what it would do.
Mdm Ong also admitted that the trustees were not consulted on bond investments and personal guarantees that AMAC Capital made.
During the defence's cross-examination, she further testified that the church's investment committee and management board were given the mandate to invest excess building funds. When asked specifically by the defence if the church suffered any loss, the prosecution witness replied that there was no loss made.
During re-examination by the prosecution, Mdm Ong acknowledged that as a trustee, she signed documents approved by the management board but would not ensure the authenticity of those documents.
Several times during the hearing, Mdm Ong attested to the character of singer Sun Ho, wife of one of the accused, Kong Hee. She said church members knew Ms Ho was the chosen one to reach out to the secular world and said the singer was "wholesome".
Later in the day, Indonesian businessman Wahju Hanafi took the stand again, continuing from last Friday. The court heard how he donated millions of dollars to the church and in January 2004, asked the church to refund him S$1.45 million.
When grilled on who the donations belonged to, Mr Wahju admitted that it was the church's but described the refund as "a diversion of the purpose".
The money was channelled into the Crossover Project, of which Ms Ho is part of.
The prosecution also sought to show that certain documents, in particular, a board resolution, were backdated. On this, Mr Wahju said it didn't matter to him if it was.
Church founder Kong Hee, Chew, Wee and three others are accused of misusing S$24 million from the church's building fund to boost Ms Ho's career and using another S$26 million to cover up the initial sum.
No comments:
Post a Comment