SINGAPORE: City Harvest Church finance manager Sharon Tan broke down on Friday (Sep 26), her eleventh day on the stand.
The 39-year-old was being questioned by Chief Prosecutor Mavis Chionh about the minutes that she had recorded of a board meeting on Sep 12, 2009.
The minutes stated that the board had considered and approved advance rental to be paid to Xtron Productions at a rate of S$7million per annum over eight years, so the production house could help the church secure a venue for its growing congregation. But Tan admitted that the figures had not been brought up at that meeting and was only reported to the board after Sep 12, 2009.
Ms Chionh had questioned why it was difficult for Tan to reflect decisions that were made at the meeting in the meeting's minutes: "Why do you have to go back in time to insert the information in an earlier set of minutes?"
To that, Tan replied that the board had been informed at the meeting of the plan for advance rental to be paid and that "in essence, it was the same".
Ms Chionh then pressed on: "If that's what they said from the minutes, that the auditors understand that the board approved S$7million a year for eight years on Sep 12, 2009, that understanding has to be false, because no such approval of those figures happened on Sep 12, 2009. Correct?"
Tan said she could not "agree fully", although the prosecution repeated the question a number of times. Presiding Judge of the State Courts See Kee Oon then intervened: "If I read that statement there, I would understand that those figures were approved on Sep 12, 2009. Does this help you to understand the question? So what is your answer?" That was when Tan conceded the point.
The prosecution then put its case that Tan inserted the information to deceive the auditors. Tan said: "It might be seen that they (the auditors) are being deceived but it wasn't my intention."
Her voice then broke as she cried, and the court session was temporarily adjourned. Since taking the stand, this is the third time that Tan has broken down in tears.
After the break, the prosecution continued its cross-examination, claiming the church's board had not told about the full advanced rental arrangement, as well as other transactions during the board meetings.
It is the prosecution's case that Tan, together with three other accused, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee and Tan Ye Peng, had conspired to devise the series of "round-tripping" transactions, creating the false impression that sham bonds in Xtron and Firna had been redeemed, to defraud auditors into believing that the bonds were not an issue.
The trial continues on Monday.
The 39-year-old was being questioned by Chief Prosecutor Mavis Chionh about the minutes that she had recorded of a board meeting on Sep 12, 2009.
The minutes stated that the board had considered and approved advance rental to be paid to Xtron Productions at a rate of S$7million per annum over eight years, so the production house could help the church secure a venue for its growing congregation. But Tan admitted that the figures had not been brought up at that meeting and was only reported to the board after Sep 12, 2009.
Ms Chionh had questioned why it was difficult for Tan to reflect decisions that were made at the meeting in the meeting's minutes: "Why do you have to go back in time to insert the information in an earlier set of minutes?"
To that, Tan replied that the board had been informed at the meeting of the plan for advance rental to be paid and that "in essence, it was the same".
Ms Chionh then pressed on: "If that's what they said from the minutes, that the auditors understand that the board approved S$7million a year for eight years on Sep 12, 2009, that understanding has to be false, because no such approval of those figures happened on Sep 12, 2009. Correct?"
Tan said she could not "agree fully", although the prosecution repeated the question a number of times. Presiding Judge of the State Courts See Kee Oon then intervened: "If I read that statement there, I would understand that those figures were approved on Sep 12, 2009. Does this help you to understand the question? So what is your answer?" That was when Tan conceded the point.
The prosecution then put its case that Tan inserted the information to deceive the auditors. Tan said: "It might be seen that they (the auditors) are being deceived but it wasn't my intention."
Her voice then broke as she cried, and the court session was temporarily adjourned. Since taking the stand, this is the third time that Tan has broken down in tears.
After the break, the prosecution continued its cross-examination, claiming the church's board had not told about the full advanced rental arrangement, as well as other transactions during the board meetings.
It is the prosecution's case that Tan, together with three other accused, Chew Eng Han, Serina Wee and Tan Ye Peng, had conspired to devise the series of "round-tripping" transactions, creating the false impression that sham bonds in Xtron and Firna had been redeemed, to defraud auditors into believing that the bonds were not an issue.
The trial continues on Monday.
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