Sing when you’re sinning? Six Singaporean church leaders convicted for US$36 million fraud with bizarre link to pastor’s pop star wife
The church management board expressed 'disappointment' in the verdict
Six Christian church leaders in Singapore have been convicted of fraud for using US$36 million to turn the pastor’s glamorous singer wife into a global pop star to attract more followers.
After a two-year trial that captivated Singapore with tales of lavish spending and financial deceit, pastor Kong Hee and five aides were found guilty Wednesday of diverting S$24 million (HK$133.8 million) to finance his wife Sun Ho’s singing career, which failed to take off.
The six, who insisted the project was conceived for religious reasons, were also found guilty of misappropriating another S$26 million from the evangelical City Harvest Church (CHC) to cover their tracks, prosecutors said.
Ho, 43, who appeared in a 2007 music video with rapper Wyclef Jean in an attempt to cross over from Mandarin pop and reach a wider English-language audience, was not charged.