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Published: Wednesday June 27, 2012 MYT 12:10:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday June 27, 2012 MYT 12:35:25 PM

Five City Harvest Church seniors charged with misuse of funds


Kong Hee (second right) holds the hand of his wife Sun Ho, also known as Ho Yeow Sun, as he exits the courts on June 27, 2012. REUTERS

SINGAPORE: Five people allegedly involved in the misuse of funds at the City Harvest Church were charged in the Subordinate Court here on Wednesday morning.

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that they arrived separately but their charges were read in the dock together.

City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee faces three charges while Senior pastor Tan Ye Peng faces 10 charges. Finance manager Tan Shao Yuen faces seven charges.

Senior member Chew Eng Han faces 10 charges and former secretary of the church's management board Lam Leng Hung faces three charges.

The five allegedly diverted S$23mil of the church's money to fund Ho Yeow Sun's music career in the United States. Ho is Kong Hee's wife.

CNA said they were charged with another S$26.6mil of misappropriated funds, used to redeem "sham bonds" to cover their tracks.

The case will be mentioned again in a month's time.

Earlier, the Straits Times reported Kong, Tan Ye Peng and three other church leaders were picked up by the police at their homes early on Tuesday morning and taken in for questioning over the alleged misuse of church funds as well as alleged breaches under charity laws.

This latest development comes two years after the Commercial Affairs Department started a probe into the alleged misuse of church funds in May 2010. - Bernama

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