Singapore cuts jail term for megachurch leader in pop music fraud case

SINGAPORE: A Singapore court yesterday cut the jail sentence for the co-founder of one of the citystate’s most popular churches, after he appealed his conviction and sentence for misusing millions of dollars to support of his wife’s pop singing career.

The Court of Appeal sentenced Kong Hee, 52, head of City Harvest Church ( CHC), to 3-1/2 years for criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts, reducing the eight years term he got in October 2015.

Other five church leaders also had their sentences reduced.

Kong was found guilty of misusing S$ 50 million ( US$ 36 million) of church money to fund his wife’s musical career.

Local media said it was the largest amount of charity funds ever misappropriated in Singapore.

Kong’s lawyer Edwin Tong, was quoted by local newspaper Straits Times as saying his client was ‘disappointed’ the conviction was not overturned, but appreciated that the judge said he was acting in the church’s interest.

Kong’s church preaches a ‘ prosperity gospel’ that blends spiritual and material aspirations.

His wife, Ho Yeow Sun — known as Sun Ho — is famous for a video of her English-language hit ‘ China Wine’, which shows her dancing intimately with rapper Wyclef Jean.

The defence has said Sun Ho’s music career was used to evangelise. She was not charged in the case.

“This was a situation which... involved no personal gain on the appellants’ part,” Judge Chao Hick Tin said.

“They believed that their acts ... would ultimately advance the interests of CHC.”

The mix of money, faith, and scandal is unique in Singapore, which has built a system with low tolerance for corruption and where the star status is more often attributed to politicians and bankers.