City Harvest Church warned over fund raising for accused

Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) has warned City Harvest Church about its employees' efforts to raise funds to pay the legal fees of the church's leaders facing criminal charges in court.

At issue is a donation form which surfaced this month seeking funds as a "personal gift" to the six people charged so far.

Commissioner of Charities' response
 
"The Commissioner of Charities' (COC) office had earlier issued a Restriction Order to the Board of City Harvest Church (CHC) to restrict CHC from paying the legal fees of the six accused persons and entering into transactions relating to payment of services to the suspended individuals and their related entities, without the approval of the COC.

The COC has informed CHC that the church and/or its employees should not be involved in raising funds for the legal expenses or setting up a specific fund for this purpose."

Ex-finance chief of City Harvest listed as secretary of more than 50 companies

Serina Wee Gek Yin, the sixth person to be charged in the City Harvest Church misappropriation of funds case, was the church's former finance director.

The Straits Times reported that she is also listed by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority as the secretary of more than 50 companies associated with the church and its leaders. These companies include Skin Couture, Ed Hardy and Xtron Productions.

Xtron Productions is the company that manages pastor Kong Hee's wife Ho Yeow Sun's music career.

Wee, along with five other church members including Kong, are suspected of being involved in transferring $13 million from the church to Xtron Productions via supposed bond investments.

Yesterday at court, the accused faced a total of 10 charges - six counts for criminal breach of trust and four for falsification of accounts.

The 36-year-old mother of three had just given birth to a baby boy last month and lives in a three-storey house in Upper East Coast.

Church members revealed that the she was an active member of the church for 10 years and managed the church's finances under her portfolio.

City Harvest increases stake in Suntec Singapore

City Harvest Church has upped its stake in Suntec Singapore to 39.2 per cent, reported The Straits Times on Saturday.

Executive pastor Aries Zulkarnain said that the church had increased its effective interest from 20 per cent in 2010 by 19.2 per cent in 2011.

He was speaking to a cheering 6,000 strong congregation during the church's Saturday evening service in Suntec.

Mr Zulkarnain said that the church had purchased the additional interest in the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre for $54 million in 2011.

According to The Straits Times, they had previously purchased their initial 20 per cent stake in 2010 at just under $44 million.

He also announced that 96 per cent of the $23.6 million pledged by church-goers for the church's building fund in 2010 had already been collected.

Complaints prompted probe into City Harvest: Chan Chun Sing

The probe into City Harvest Church's possible misuse of church funds was prompted by feedback and complaints in 2010, said Mr Chan Chun Sing.

The Acting Minister for Community Development Youth and Sports told Parliament on Monday that the investigation was not sparked by the governance review the Commissioner of Charities (COC) undertook in 2008 of City Harvest Church and six other large charities.

In response to a question about why the the Commissioner of Charities' governance review did not uncover the lack of compliance with regulations and the code of governance, Mr Chan said signs of mismanagement or fraud cannot always be detected in a governance review. He added that the COC makes use of other sources of information such as feedback, complaints or whistle-blowing to determine whether to launch an investigation or formal inquiry into a charity.

Five people including founder Kong Hee were arrested and charged with conspiring to cheat the church of millions of dollars. The Commissioner of Charities also suspended eight board members or agents of the church.

I maintain my integrity: Kong

SINGAPORE - "I do maintain my integrity".

These were the words of City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee when he addressed his congregation on Saturday.

It was his first service since Kong and four senior church members were arrested last week and charged with conspiring to cheat the church of millions of dollars. The money allegedly went into financing his wife's, pop singer Ho Yeow Sun, music career.

Dressed in a dark suit, Kong was greeted to applause and a standing ovation from an 8-000 strong crowd when he went on stage yesterday, reported The Straits Times.

The paper quoted Kong as saying, "I also know that you are all here tonight to hear something from me".

"As you know, the past few days have been very challenging for me, my family and my team, and many allegations have been made in the media.

"Obviously, as this is an ongoing case, I cannot comment on the details, but please know that there are always two sides to every story. I look forward to the day when I can tell you my side of the story in court," he said.

Seven minutes into his sermon about a woman who had worshipped Jesus humbly, honestly and whole-heartedly, Kong stopped and told his congregation, "Yes, I do maintain my integrity".

This was met with a second standing ovation and cheers.

Kong then asked his 42-year-old wife to lead the congregation in singing worship songs. During the singing session, the others who were charged - deputy pastor Tan Ye Peng, 39, finance manager Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 36, investment manager Chew Eng Han, 52, and church management board member John Lam Leng Hung, 44, - went on stage and exchanged hugs with Kong and Ms Ho.

How far can money get you in the music industry?

SINGAPORE - Made my wish to be a superstar, sings Ms Ho Yeow Sun in her English single, Fancy Free.

Ten years ago, Ms Ho, 42, who goes by the stage name Sun Ho, embarked on her secular music career as part of the Crossover Project to reach out to non-Christians.

Now, her music career is part of the focus in the investigations against individuals from the City Harvest Church.

The Commissioner of Charities had found financial irregularities of at least $23 million from the church's funds which were allegedly used with the purported intention of bankrolling Ms Ho's career.

On Wednesday, her husband Kong Hee and four church office-bearers were charged in court with the alleged misuse of the funds.

Notwithstanding the case before the courts, can someone buy his or her way to stardom? And how far can money get you in the music industry?

Industry insiders here and in the US told The New Paper that while money is important in gaining a foothold, talent will be the decisive factor in carving out a successful long-term career.

Money helps, but...

Mr Ngiam Kwang Hwa, managing director of Mandarin music label Rock Records, said: "Money can definitely bring you in, but money can't sustain you. You won't go far if you don't have talent.

"I don't believe that you can groom anyone without any star quality or talent... It depends on what you can offer to the consumer to sustain your music career."

American Robert A. Case, a music career consultant who owns two music publishing companies, said: "I know of people who have millions and millions of dollars, who throw money in as entertainers. And they've failed."

Asked how much it would cost to break into the US market, Mr Gingio Muehlbauer, founder of international music consultancy MC-Input.com, said that in the pop music scene, it would cost close to US$3 million (S$3.8 million) for the full works, from producing an album to marketing the singer.

Then, there are also the costs of collaborating with top names in the industry to draw more eyeballs and gain recognition.

Mr Jerry Lembo, president of Jerry Lembo Entertainment Group, said that most notable producers are represented by an agent or manager, and their time, availability and fees would be negotiated by them.

The costs of hiring these producers, he added, would most likely be included in the record label's recording budget.

Mr Muehlbauer said that hiring a top artiste, producer or musicians can cost anything from US$10,000 up to "hundreds of thousands", depending on how well-known they are.

And there are additional costs if you want a collaborating artiste to appear on the video or perform as a guest in concerts, he added.

Besides having talent and financial backing, success in the music industry also often depends on who you know and the relationships you build.

Mr Peng Chi Sheng, a local musician and director of Intune Music School, said: "One of the most important things is who you know.

"Just a call from the right person and you could get linked up to other people."

Mr Muehlbauer said that attending major conferences or events such as the Grammy Awards and big private parties is a great way to get noticed.

He added: "You can pay to get into some of these events. But most of them are by invitation only, so it always comes down to who you know."

Mr Case had this piece of advice for foreign artists who want to break into the US market.

"It doesn't matter if you are from a foreign country. The key to success is to be successful in your own country first," he said.

"Create a buzz in own country or region first, then other countries will take you seriously."