SINGAPORE: City Harvest Church's former investment
manager Chew Eng Han was "dishonest and disingenuous" in his testimony,
the prosecution on Wednesday (Feb 4) claimed.
The prosecution also accused Chew of hiding the close ties between the church and Xtron Productions, and downplaying his involvement.
Chew told the court that church leaders preferred to remain discreet about the control the church had over Xtron so as not to jeopardise the Crossover Project, which sought to evangelise through the pop music of Sun Ho, the wife of church founder Kong Hee.
Chew is among six leaders accused of misusing church funds to advance the pop music career of Ms Ho. They are accused of making sham bond investments in two companies, including Xtron, and then covering them up.
The prosecution argued that Chew was instrumental in disguising the sham transactions as legitimate so as to fend off auditors.
In an email dated December 2006, Chew had proposed that Xtron have a separate, physical office and a full-time chief executive for transactions "to look real and legitimate". However, Chew told the court that he was being mindful of "baseless accusations" that might arise over how the church's money was being used to benefit Kong and Ms Ho.
"Your Honour, I'm a man of substance. I don't believe in appearance. But I do believe as well that if you project the wrong appearance, it just invites false accusations. Simple as that," he said.
The prosecution also accused Chew of hiding the close ties between the church and Xtron Productions, and downplaying his involvement.
Chew told the court that church leaders preferred to remain discreet about the control the church had over Xtron so as not to jeopardise the Crossover Project, which sought to evangelise through the pop music of Sun Ho, the wife of church founder Kong Hee.
Chew is among six leaders accused of misusing church funds to advance the pop music career of Ms Ho. They are accused of making sham bond investments in two companies, including Xtron, and then covering them up.
The prosecution argued that Chew was instrumental in disguising the sham transactions as legitimate so as to fend off auditors.
In an email dated December 2006, Chew had proposed that Xtron have a separate, physical office and a full-time chief executive for transactions "to look real and legitimate". However, Chew told the court that he was being mindful of "baseless accusations" that might arise over how the church's money was being used to benefit Kong and Ms Ho.
"Your Honour, I'm a man of substance. I don't believe in appearance. But I do believe as well that if you project the wrong appearance, it just invites false accusations. Simple as that," he said.
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