By: Kheng-Liang Tan
Appealing against his earlier conviction for three counts of misappropriating church funds, the lawyer representing CHC pastor Kong Hee said in court yesterday that his client had acted in “good faith”
Senior Consel Edwin Tong said that while church funds have been used to fund Sun Ho’s music career, it did not necessarily mean that he had been honest as the “intention to put the funds to wrongful use is not the same as the intention to cause wrongful loss“.
Kong’s earlier defence that he had “almost religiously” consulted professionals about the bond transactions was reiterated, “[The] accused believed wholeheartedly that they were using church funds for an approved church purpose”
Last November, Kong Hee was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment by the High Court.
The court found that Kong had played a major role in channeling church funds intended for investments and building-related expenses into sham bonds, which were later used to fund the secular music career of Sun Ho.