What Are Your Predictions for City Harvest Case? Guilty or Not?

[sadfa]

Originally Posted by Qu Bu Qu Ma?

Live Updates:

4.58am: Close to 70 people are in the queue, ahead of the expected delivery of the verdict of the CHC trial.

."

You copy n paste this or u been there since 5 am

[newyorker88]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A...dW8/view?pli=1



the Judge's oral judgement.

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

Originally Posted by sadfa

You copy n paste this or u been there since 5 am

Copy and paste from Channel News Asia bro.

[singleman]

Serina Wee is 38 years old, but still look pretty and attractive (just my own feeling as pretty is subjective). Actually I interest in this news bcos of her.

Hmm wad u all think of the other accused lady, Sharon tan? Fuckable?

Bail out is 750k to 1 million... who the fucking rich can pay this kind of amt... they really damn rich...

[sadfa]

Don't need to pay.
Can use collateral like title deed n Angelababys virginity

[Summerhillt]

Don't you all think that this case is absurd? Obviously KH did something wrong. But what is the hype now? Guilty ? So? Where is the 50m lol!

Sg judge also not stupid. He purposely set the bail so high amount because he knows that they sure will keep the millions elsewhere. Might as well use it for bail. Who in the right mind will lend u $1m for bail lol.

[sadfa]

Originally Posted by Summerhillt

Don't you all think that this case is absurd? Obviously KH did something wrong. But what is the hype now? Guilty ? So? Where is the 50m lol!

Sg judge also not stupid. He purposely set the bail so high amount because he knows that they sure will keep the millions elsewhere. Might as well use it for bail. Who in the right mind will lend u $1m for bail lol.

Kaozzzz! It's bail la! Not fine.

Pay already can get back.
And of cos no one is stoopid to pay cash from day one.
You do realise from day one they got post bail right?
Now its continuation of that maybe with amount increased.

And money spent or wasted on her singing career.
N not judge trying to get it back

[tnuc]

Bring to justice first then talk about money. If not guilty then can't talk about money

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

Originally Posted by newyorker88

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3A...dW8/view?pli=1

the Judge's oral judgement.

Thanks for the link bro newyorker88.
Gave u points already, can't give u any more ...

Brief Summary for those who haven't been following ...:

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapo...ilty-what-next

Kong Hee and City Harvest Church leaders found guilty: What next?

The court found the accused guilty of funnelling $24 million
in church building funds into bogus bond investments
to bankroll the music ambitions of Kong's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun.
Later, they used a further $26 million to cover their tracks.

The six were convicted of varying counts
of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts.

Here are six things about the trial which lasted 140 days:

1. WHAT NEXT AFTER THE VERDICT?

The prosecution is scheduled to file written submissions by Nov 6.
The defence will be given a week to respond with mitigation pleas on Nov 13.

Oral submissions will be delivered on Nov 20 at 9.30am.

Sentencing may take place on Nov 20 or at a later date.

2. WHAT IS THE NEXT COURSE OF ACTION FOR THE CHURCH LEADERS?

In a statement put up on the church website, Ms Ho, who is CHC co-founder,
said Kong and the others were "studying the judgment intently"
and would be taking legal advice from their respective lawyers.

Former church fund manager Chew Eng Han, who conducted his own defence,
said he intends to file an appeal.

Mr John Lam, former CHC finance committee member, said he is considering an appeal,
while former church finance manager Sharon Tan said she would speak to her lawyer first.

Kong and deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng indicated through their lawyers
that they would wait for the grounds of decision before making their next move.

Former CHC finance manager Serina Wee has not decided if she would appeal the verdict.

3. WHAT IS THE BAIL AMOUNT?

Judge See extended bail of $1 million to Kong, Tan Ye Peng, Chew and Lam.

Bail was set at $750,000 for Sharon Tan and Wee,
who had her bail amount raised from $500,000 previously.

They have been barred from travelling overseas. All six posted bail.

4. WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR THE OFFENCE?

Kong and Lam were found guilty of three charges of criminal breach of trust.

Tan Ye Peng, Chew and Wee were convicted
of six charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsifying accounts.

Sharon Tan was found guilty of three charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsifying accounts.

The falsification of accounts charge carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

For each count of criminal breach of trust, the accused could face up to 10 years' jail and a fine.

The punishment for criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant or agent
set out under Section 409 of the Penal Code - the section under which the six have been convicted -
is a life sentence or up to 20 years' jail.

However, the maximum punishment a District Court judge can impose is 10 years per charge,
or a maximum cumulative sentence of up to 20 years.

5. WHAT NEXT FOR THE CHURCH?

In Ms Ho's official statement following the verdict, she said a new management and church board
- which she dubbed "CHC 2.0" - has been overseeing operations since 2012.

In a Facebook post on Oct 19, Kong also revealed that his wife had been ordained as a pastor
and urged church members to support her and the new generation leadership team.

6. IS THIS THE LONGEST CRIMINAL CASE IN SINGAPORE'S HISTORY?

While the CHC trial, which started in May 2013, went on for 140 days, it is not the longest.

The record was set by a drug trafficking case in the 1990s which lasted 168 days.

[sundial]

Originally Posted by singleman

Serina Wee is 38 years old, but still look pretty and attractive (just my own feeling as pretty is subjective). Actually I interest in this news bcos of her.

Hmm wad u all think of the other accused lady, Sharon tan? Fuckable?

Bail out is 750k to 1 million... who the fucking rich can pay this kind of amt... they really damn rich...

If she come to me i bail her keep her under lock key, make her my slave until gao gao. But look again at the recent picture abit hagged. Maybe cannot sleep well.

[JediForce]

Thank you for sharing.

[69Sniper]

Originally Posted by sadfa

Kaozzzz! It's bail la! Not fine.

Pay already can get back.
And of cos no one is stoopid to pay cash from day one.
You do realise from day one they got post bail right?
Now its continuation of that maybe with amount increased.

And money spent or wasted on her singing career.
N not judge trying to get it back

aiyoyo brudder sadfa if de accused ran away den the bail will be gone so who lend the bail$ to de accused sure die.....

[sadfa]

Originally Posted by 69Sniper

aiyoyo brudder sadfa if de accused ran away den the bail will be gone so who lend the bail$ to de accused sure die.....

Aiyoh then you smarter abit.

You b guarantor, you ask Sun Ho n his indo fren to b yr collateral la. Or sign iou or give you some valuable to keep.

Anyway I think they Wun take away the full amount even if they run away.

N passport take away, Kong hee swim to jb meh. N nowadays Malaysia will cooperate to give up these fugitives

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...re#xtor=CS1-10

The City Harvest trial could go down as the most expensive criminal trial in Singapore's history.

After 141 days in court, all six defendants - including the church's founding pastor Kong Hee - were found guilty on Wednesday of varying counts of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts.

Senior lawyers The Straits Times spoke to said it would not be surprising if costs exceeded $2 million for each of the five defendants still being represented by lawyers. Four of these five are represented by Senior Counsel, regarded as the elite in the legal profession here, who can charge upwards of $1,000 an hour, said lawyers.

The remaining defendant, former church fund manager Chew Eng Han, has represented himself since May last year. Previously, he was represented by Senior Counsel Michael Khoo.

The defendants' lawyers declined to comment.

Legal costs for the trial could shoot beyond $10 million, which would make it the most expensive criminal legal battle here, said experts. The figure does not include the bail... which ranges from $750,000 to $1 million.

Chew, however, told The Straits Times that he had paid $1.1 million in legal fees so far. Of this, $400,000 came from a fund to which church members contributed, he said.

Put together, legal costs for the trial could shoot beyond $10 million, which would make it the most expensive criminal legal battle here, said experts.

The figure does not include the bail posted by each accused, which ranges from $750,000 to $1 million.

"It has been a very extensive and long trial that would require intensive preparation over a long period of time. So the legal fees would be quite substantial," said Senior Counsel Lok Vi Ming.

Other costly criminal battles include that of former Central Narcotics Bureau chief Ng Boon Gay, who was acquitted of corruption in 2013. It was estimated then that the trial could have cost over $1 million.

The City Harvest trial is also one of the longest criminal trials on record, though still not as long as a drug trafficking trial that ran for 168 days in the 1990s.

Veteran criminal lawyer Amolat Singh pointed out that with four Senior Counsel and their legal teams, costs would mount quickly.

"Everyone on the team has billable hours," he said, adding that the complexity of the trial is another big factor.

The prosecution alone called 14 witnesses and produced more than 1,400 documents.

"White-collar crime is always more complex than normal crime. For white-collar crime, you have so many angles, so many documents, so many vouchers - all these add to the complexity," said Mr Singh.

However, another veteran lawyer, who declined to be named, said if the $2 million in costs were averaged over the length of the trial, it would work out to a daily rate of about $14,000.

He said: "That's actually not unreasonable."

Meanwhile, despite the fact that in 2012, the Commissioner of Charities had warned the church against raising funds to pay the legal fees of the accused, former and current church members said independent efforts to raise funds have persisted.

Former member Nanz Chong-Komo, 46, said there were always "a lot of initiatives and encouragement" in church to help the defendants financially. She left the church in 2013.

Another church member, a prominent local businessman who declined to be named, confirmed this, and said he had personally given "a little bit".

"This is more like a love offering, it's not a church thing. The (defendants) never solicited donations. People give of their own free will," he said.

[Qu Bu Qu Ma?]

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapo...spel-pop-music

The City Harvest Church trial, which fascinated Singaporeans and attracted worldwide attention with its heady mix of faith, money and fraud, apparently had its roots in one simple desire - to reach out to non-Christians all over the world through music.

But it led to the misuse of $50 million in church funds, and conviction of six church leaders, including founding pastor Kong Hee.

He and his wife Ho Yeow Sun first toyed with the idea of spreading the Gospel using pop music in 1999, when they began to modify the lyrics of secular songs to include Christian messages.

Buoyed by the positive response to her performances, Kong thought it viable for his wife to record an album of contemporary Christian music. But a Taiwanese music producer told Kong that Ms Ho had the potential to be a secular music artist.

In 2002, the Crossover Project to spread the church's message through pop music was born.

Later that year, Ms Ho made her Mandopop debut with her album Sun With Love, which quickly sold some 50,000 copies in the Taiwanese market and more than 30,000 in Singapore.

More popularly known by her stage name Sun Ho, she kept to her then wholesome image, fronting the album cover with a close-up of her barely made-up face, complete with freckles.

Her fame was further secured with the release of her second album the same year. Titled SunDay, it beat Taiwanese boy band 5566 and homegrown singer Stefanie Sun to win Best Selling Album of the Year at the Singapore Hit Awards in 2003.

Both albums were directly funded by CHC, an arrangement that soon ended in 2003 after a former church member alleged that church money had been used to boost her career.

With the media spotlight trained on the church and its use of funds, Kong decided that the church should be much more discreet in how it funded the Crossover Project. Music production company Xtron was set up in June 2003, and on the same day, Ms Ho was signed on as an artist. Previously, she was managed by City Harvest Pte Ltd and Attributes Pte Ltd, both subsidiaries of CHC.

Thus it fell to Xtron to finance her music career, and it did so particularly through donations by individuals. Often, donations which would otherwise have been made to the church's building fund were instead redirected to Xtron.

The firm also received revenue directly from CHC by sub-leasing a hall at the Singapore Expo to the church for its weekend services and providing audio-visual and lighting services, which the church did in-house before, for a monthly fee.

While Ms Ho's third album Lonely Travel, released in 2003, also sold more than 30,000 copies here, her fourth and fifth albums fared considerably poorer, selling only 5,000 to 10,000 copies.

In March 2003, Kong went to the US to preach as a guest speaker in a church and told its pastor, who formerly worked in the entertainment business, about the Crossover Project. Intrigued by its concept, she encouraged Kong to take the project over to the US and even circulated samples of Ms Ho's music among her industry friends.

It was through her that Kong got to know music producer Justin Herz, who once worked for MTV. The US phase of the Crossover Project was launched in 2003.

Over the next seven years, Ms Ho released several English singles, five of which made it to the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs. Each single stayed on the charts for between 13 and 16 weeks.

In June 2005, Kong and Mr Herz finally firmed up plans to release Ms Ho's debut US album by March 2006. However, Mr Herz later insisted the album was not ready and Kong deferred to his advice.

In May that year, Grammy-winning producer and Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean, who commanded a fee of US1.5 million (S$1.9 million), was brought in.

It was a move that substantially increased the amount of money needed to fund her album, which was expected to cost more than $11 million. The CHC leaders believed that Jean's involvement would eventually help to sell the album's projected 1.5 million copies. By then, Ms Ho had long shed her clean girl-next-door image for a strong dare-to-bare attitude.

Tongues wagged, especially when she appeared in a slinky red Armani dress with a plunging neckline at a Hollywood event in 2003.

However, Ms Ho's English single China Wine and its music video - a collaboration with Jean in 2007 - attracted the most attention.

In the video, she adopts a persona called Geisha and prances about in a racy midriff-baring top and micro hot pants.

Other music videos such as the reggae-inspired Mr Bill (2009) also feature Ms Ho in tight, revealing outfits. In the song, she talks about killing her fictional husband, Bill, and "sending him to the cemetery" for making her "cook and clean".

Both videos were heavily criticised for their negative portrayal of the Asian stereotype.

Plenty of eyebrows were also raised over her lifestyle in the US, where she lived in an upscale area of Los Angeles where the likes of Brad Pitt resided, in a house supposedly costing more than $20,000 a month.

It was later revealed in the trial that Xtron was bleeding heavily, and that even her Mandarin albums incurred losses.

In his written judgment, Judge See Kee Oon decided that Ms Ho's perceived success was "inflated".

In fact, Xtron and the Crossover team had relied heavily on sponsorship from CHC members or supporters to prop up her Mandarin album sales and promote her career.

It was thus "no more than optimistic hope" to believe that her debut US album would be able to sell more than 200,000 copies, as Kong and the other five church leaders had so fervently expected.

Ms Ho's failed pop career was played up in several foreign media reports on the guilty verdicts.

The BBC detailed how she was restyled as a "vampy rapper-singer" in 2007 and produced singles which met with limited success.

Britain's The Telegraph also shone the spotlight on Ms Ho's pop star ambitions, which Kong claimed was part of the church's mission to evangelise through her music.

"The evangelical message of the brash videos with international music and modelling stars was not immediately clear," it wrote.