Former City Harvest Church investment manager Chew Eng Han says he attended two of Sun Ho’s concerts and believed "100 per cent" in the Crossover Project, even donating S$1 million towards it.

SINGAPORE: The High Court on Friday morning (Sep 16) heard the appeal of Chew Eng Han, who was sentenced to six years' jail last November for his part in misappropriating S$50 million of City Harvest Church funds.

Chew, who served as the church's investment manager, argued he should be acquitted because "there was no misappropriation". He said the sentencing judge had "gravely erred" in his ruling, and used a flawed definition of misappropriation.

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Though Chew conceded that the S$50 million - set aside for the church’s investments and building-related expenses - had instead been channelled towards the secular music career of Sun Ho, who is the wife of CHC founder and senior pastor Kong Hee, Chew argued the sentencing judge had "automatically" assumed this had been done with dishonest intent.

Chew said this cannot be the case, because "the church had not been deprived", but rather benefitted, from the channelling of funds toward "a church purpose" - Ms Ho's music career,known as the Crossover Project.

"The logic is Sun becomes a megastar, (holds more) concerts ... then she can evangelise,” Chew said, adding that he had attended two concerts himself and believed "100 per cent" in the Crossover Project, even donating S$1 million towards it.

Having done so, it is "illogical for me to want to cause loss to the church," he said.

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CHURCH’S FUNDING OF CROSSOVER PROJECT A ‘SECRET’: CHEW

Chew also told the court the funding of the Crossover Project had been a "secret". This was not because the six conspirators knew or thought that it was illegal to use church funds in this way, but because "Kong Hee was afraid of being exposed for rigging Sun Ho's success".

"Kong's guilt should not be automatically imputed to others,” Chew said. Pointing to an e-mail Kong wrote to co-accused John Lam in January 2005, Chew said he had been "brainwashed" into supporting the Crossover Project as Kong regularly played up Ho's success.

Chew said Kong had explicitly told board members that no church monies were used, in a bid to “avoid public controversy”. Justice Chan Seng Onn said such a lie “gives me a sense he was trying to deceive (the members)”.



"Kong's guilt should not be automatically imputed to others,” Chew said. He added that Kong regularly played up his wife’s success, pointing to several e-mails “typical of the news that we received (about Sun)”.

“I need our members to be super proud of her and realise that we do have a singing diva in our midst”, Kong wrote in an e-mail in January 2005.

"I thought she was a megastar,” Chew said. In reality, the church had bought up unsold copies of Ms Ho’s albums, the court heard. "If this was a conspiracy, it is the worst thought-out conspiracy ever,” Chew said.

"It looks that way to me too,” Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin responded, prompting laughter from the public gallery.

DON’T TAR SHARON WITH THE SAME BRUSH: LAWYER

The High Court heard the appeal of CHC finance manager Sharon Tan on Friday afternoon. Tan was found guilty of seven charges and sentenced to 21 months in prison, the lightest jail term among the six.

Her lawyer Paul Seah pointed out Tan had never held a key leadership role in the church, and that prosecutors had “never made a case that she was tied up in the conspiracy to use the sham bonds to fund the Crossover Project”.

Mr Seah said Tan was “kept out of the loop in key discussions”, and whenever she was pulled in to help with financial planning, her role was simple – “to provide facts and figures”.

“The trial judge erred in tarring Sharon with the same brush as the other co-accused”, Mr Seah said, adding that Tan had no motive or intent to cause harm to the church, and was acting on the instructions of the church’s leaders.

The appeal continues on Monday.