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Kong Hee

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Kong.
Kong Hee
康希
Born (1964-08-23) 23 August 1964 (age 60)
Singapore
EducationRaffles Institution
Raffles Junior College
Alma materNational University of Singapore
OccupationSenior pastor of City Harvest Church
Known forMisappropriation of S$50 million of church funds in the City Harvest Church Criminal Breach of Trust Case
Criminal statusReleased on 22 August 2019, 1/3 of sentence remitted on good behaviour
Spouse
​
(m. 1992)​
ChildrenDayan Kong
Parent(s)Kong Leng (father)
Toh Poh Eng (mother)
Conviction(s)Criminal breach of trust
Criminal chargeThree charges of criminal breach of trust
Penalty8 years, reduced to 3 years 6 months imprisonment on appeal
Date apprehended
21 April 2017[1]
Imprisoned atChangi Prison Complex

Kong Hee (Chinese: 康希; pinyin: Kāng Xī; born 23 August 1964) is the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church.[2]

He was convicted in 2015 of being involved in the City Harvest Church Criminal Breach of Trust Case, Singapore's biggest case in misuse of charitable funds.[3][4][5] He was seen to be the "key man" behind the scandal[6] who had guided his five accomplices by the Singapore court of three charges of criminal breach of trust.[7] Although Kong and the five were guilty of serious breaches, the court noted that the $50 million was also ultimately returned to the church.[8]

He served his sentence at Changi Prison Complex from 21 April 2017 to 22 August 2019.[9][10]

Kong is also involved in the Christian Charismatic Movement, a philosophy of ministry that emphasises the Great Commandment, the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate.[11]

Early life

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Kong is the fifth child of Kong Leng, a professional engineer, and Toh Poh-Eng, a diamond trader. From 1975 to 1988, Kong was a member of Marine Parade Christian Centre, an Anglican church located in eastern Singapore. He studied at Raffles Institution (1977–1981), Raffles Junior College (1982) as well as National University of Singapore, Bachelor of Science (Computer & Information Sciences) (1985–1988).

During his university years, he worked part-time for the Chapel of the Resurrection under the oversight of Anglican vicar, Reverend Dr. Canon James Wong. During that tenure, he helped Canon Wong set up a new congregation, Orchard Christian Centre. Upon university graduation in 1988, Kong worked a short stint in a local publishing house as a programmer.

In 1989, Kong was a staff evangelist with "Christ For Asia", a missions organisation in the Philippines led by Assemblies of God minister, Reverend Randy Sing. At that same time, there was an opportunity for Kong to pioneer a new church in Singapore. With the support and encouragement of some senior pastors in the city, Kong decided to relocate back to Singapore and helped set up a new congregation with 20 youths.[2]

City Harvest Church

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Main article: City Harvest Church

On 7 May 1989, City Harvest Church was founded as a department (known as "Ekklesia Ministry") of Bethany Christian Centre (Assemblies of God).[12]

From 1997, Kong was the executive director of the Festival of Praise, an annual event that brought together churches for united prayer and worship.[needs update?] Kong was a board member of Dr. David Yonggi Cho's Church Growth International (South Korea) and Dr. Luis Bush's Transform World (Indonesia). Kong is a protege,[13] friend and mentee[14] of Phil Pringle, the founder and senior pastor of C3 Church Global (Australia) and advisory pastor to City Harvest Church.[15] With his wife Sun Ho, they once owned two companies, International Harvest and Skin Couture.

In December 2010, City Harvest Church had an average of 23,256 attendees[16] with 47 affiliate "Harvest" churches, as well as 29 affiliate churches and 6 Bible schools in Asia, namely, in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan. Another 18 affiliate churches in East and West Malaysia are under the Malaysian Harvest Fellowship which Kong Hee co-founded.[17][18][19][20]

Conviction

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Main article: City Harvest Church Criminal Breach of Trust Case

Investigations

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On 31 May 2010, the Office of the Commissioner of Charities and the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police began investigating more than 16 individuals linked to City Harvest Church, including church founder Kong Hee and his wife, Sun Ho.[21][22] The police were looking into financial transactions involving the possible falsification of accounts and criminal breach of trust amounting to millions of dollars which dated back a number of years. The authorities allowed regular church activities and services to continue for the congregation during ongoing investigations.[23][24][25][26][27]

On 26 June 2012, the Commissioner of Charities released a press statement detailing the results of its inquiry. It stated that there were misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of City Harvest Church. There were irregularities of at least $23 million in the church's funds, which were used to finance Sun Ho's secular music career. There was also a concerted effort to conceal this movement of funds from stakeholders. Kong Hee and seven others were suspended from their roles in the church.[28]

A subsequent report indicated that the investigations were trigged by complaints made to the authorities.[29]

Arrests and charges

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Also on 26 June 2012, Kong Hee and four other leaders of City Harvest Church were arrested and charged with misuse of funds.[30][31] A sixth leader was charged on 25 July 2012. All six accused were granted bail of S$500,000 and had their passports impounded.[32]

Trial and conviction

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The trial of Kong Hee and the five other leaders commenced in May 2013 and was adjourned several times.[33][34][35] There was a total of 142 days of hearings.[36]

The verdicts were announced on 21 October 2015. Kong Hee and the other five leaders were found guilty of all charges.[7]

Sentencing was on 20 November 2015. Kong Hee received the heaviest sentence of the six, 8 years in prison.[37][38] Following a request from the defendants, the judge agreed to defer the start of the sentences until 11 January 2016.[39][40]

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In 2017, the Commissioner of Charities permanently barred the six in the case, with two additional church executive members, Kelvin Teo Meng How and Tan Su Pheng Jacqueline, from holding key management positions or being a board member in City Harvest Church or any other charity. Additionally the church was barred from paying the legal fees for the six. However, they were still allowed to perform their religious activities.[41]

Appeals

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On 27 November 2016, it was reported that the Attorney General's Chambers had filed appeals against the sentence issued to Kong Hee and the five other defendants, on the grounds that it was "manifestly inadequate".[42]

On 2 December 2015, it was reported that Kong Hee and the other five defendants had also filed appeals.[43]

On 4 March 2016, it was reported that the appeal hearing would commence on 19 September 2016.[44]

On 7 April 2017, his original sentence of 8 years in prison was reduced to 3.5 years.[45] In delivering their decision, the judges noted that there was no element of wrongful gain or personal financial benefit, either direct or indirect.[46][47][48] The Court of Appeal acknowledged that “The theological legitimacy of the Crossover as a means of evangelism is not an issue in this case.” (Para 1)[49] “The Crossover – which is central to the entire case – is an evangelistic endeavour to spread the gospel through the secular music of Sun Ho. It is not disputed that the Crossover had the full support of the CHC Board.” (Para 21)[49]

Pages 264-267 of the appeal judgement characterised Kong as "coloured by greed and self-interest", as the Crossover project appeared to have been designed to benefit Sun Ho and Kong Hee. Sun Ho's contract with Xtron (a company controlled by Kong Hee) was to entitle Sun to 25% of gross income (estimated to reach US$30M[citation needed]) regardless of project costs, in addition to a monthly salary of US$10,000.[50] However, this contract between Sun Ho and Xtron was terminated in August 2008.[51]

In addition, he had told members they were off-salary from the church. A private fund was set up to and raised over $3 million “to fund the [Crossover] Project” and was fully expended in just 3 years for the purposes of the Project.[49]

Kong Hee began serving his sentence on 21 April 2017.

Comments by the Minister for Law

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External videos
video icon Law minister K Shanmugam setting out the government's position on the court's ruling, Gov.sg video

Expressing his disappointment by the Court of Appeal's decision to overrule a 1976 High Court decision, which had held that company directors could be convicted for criminal breach of trust under section 409 of the Penal Code, Minister for Law K Shanmugam said, “The government believes the sentences are too low. But the sentences reflect the law as it stands after the High Court’s decision last year confirmed by the Court of Appeal. The courts decide these matters. All of us have to respect the decision regardless of whether we agree or disagree with it.”

“It is now up to Parliament to amend the law, and that we should do soon. We will ensure that legislation provides for higher penalties for directors and other senior officers who commit criminal breach of trust,” he added.[52]

Release

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On 22 August 2019, Kong Hee was released from prison, having served 2 years and 4 months of the sentence.[53] Inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentence before released on remission for good behaviour.[54]

In his first appearance at the church after his release, Kong delivered a four-minute speech apologising to church members for "any pain, anxiety, disappointment, or grief that you have suffered because of me".[55]

Controversies

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Plagiarism

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In March 2010, a blogger identified plagiarism on Kong Hee's Daily Devotionals as they were similar to writings in another publication, The Leadership Bible which had been published ten years prior. The copied text were published as physical copies into two books, Renewing Your Spiritual Energy in 90 Days, without accreditation to the original authors. Kong Hee's daily devotionals were originally compiled from his personal reading notes and printed as supplementary reading for his members, free of charge. Some years later, due to popular demand overseas, a local publisher compiled and released foreign language translations of the devotional for sale.[citation needed]

Kong Hee posted a note on his website and explained that the devotion was "originally meant only for internal circulation among the members of my church. As such, there was an oversight in not quoting the sources of some portions that borrow from the writings of other Christian authors." There was also an apology for the oversight.[56][57]

The publisher, who is also a member of City Harvest Church, acknowledged that at the time of publication, both himself and Mr Kong were aware that certain portions of the content were not original.[57][58] The publisher of "Renewal" has since made amendments to the soft copies to include accreditation.

Personal life

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Kong is married to pastor-turned-pop-singer Ho Yeow Sun, also known as Sun Ho. They have one son, Dayan Kong, who was born in 2005.[59]

Kong was the co-owner of a 5,242 sq ft duplex penthouse located on the 11th floor of The Oceanfront in the premium residential enclave Sentosa Cove. The penthouse was co-owned with Indonesian tycoon Mr Wahju Hanafi, a church follower. The pair bought the penthouse for $9.33 million in 2007, each paying monthly installments of $17,000, before the apartment was sold at a loss of over S$2 million to a Kenyan diplomat.[60]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "City Harvest Church's founder Kong Hee along with 4 others begin serving jail terms". www.ibtimes.sg. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Kong Hee". City Harvest Church. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. ^ "About Kong Hee". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 21 December 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Kong Hee's Biography". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 14 November 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  5. ^ "City Harvest trial: 6 leaders found guilty on all charges, out on bail". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  6. ^ Cheong, Danson (23 October 2015). "Kong Hee 'key man behind church scandal'". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b "City Harvest trial: All 6 accused, including founder Kong Hee, found guilty of all charges". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. ^ "City Harvest trial: Shocked faces after sentencing". The Straits Times. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. ^ "City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee released from prison". CNA.
  10. ^ Cheong, Danson; Min, Chew Hui (20 November 2015). "What you need to know about the City Harvest trial". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Kong Hee's Profile". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 14 November 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  12. ^ "Every Member is a Minister' at Singapore Megachurch". Church & Ministry. 10 February 2004. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006.
  13. ^ "'He covered up a felony': Mega-church's history of sex scandals revealed". www.9news.com.au. October 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  14. ^ Shin, Yong Yung (9 May 2012). "City Harvest Church: 10 Years Of The Crossover Project". City News. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  15. ^ Tan, Theresa (22 May 2013). "An Interview With Phil Pringle: CHC Has A Future Of Incredible Blessing". City News. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  16. ^ "CHC Story". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  17. ^ "Why Isn't the American church growing?". Charisma Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
  18. ^ "Speakers". City City Church. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  19. ^ "Kong Hee's Profile". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  20. ^ "History of the Church". City Harvest Church. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  21. ^ "City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee & 16 others under funds probe". news.xin.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  22. ^ "News". Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  23. ^ "Specific transactions, individuals being investigated Religious services need not be disrupted and can continue". Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  24. ^ "News". Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Church members probed". Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  26. ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl. "Singapore megachurch founder Kong Hee on trial in religious freedom test case". Washington Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  27. ^ Munoz, Vincent Phillip (2013). Religious Liberty and the American Supreme Court: The Essential Cases and Documents (Updated ed.). Rowman & LittleField. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-4422-0828-5. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Inquiry found misconduct and mismanagement in the City Harvest Church - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports". 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  29. ^ DURAI, JENNANI. "City Harvest probe 'triggered by Complaints, not government reviews" (PDF). Ministry of Social and Family Development. The Straits Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  30. ^ "City Harvest case: Allegedly total of $50m misused". 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  31. ^ "Singapore City Harvest Church pastor charged over funds". BBC News. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  32. ^ "TODAYonline - Singapore - 6th City Harvest member charged; cases adjourned for 5 weeks". 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  33. ^ "Singapore church leaders tried on corruption charges". BBC News. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  34. ^ "Fourth leg of the trial will stretch for a week and will likely see former church board member John Lam take the stand". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  35. ^ migration (30 August 2012). "City Harvest Church case adjourned to Oct 4". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  36. ^ hermes (29 December 2015). "Trials and tragedies: 10 Singapore events that shaped 2015". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  37. ^ "City Harvest trial: 21 months to 8 years' jail for leaders". Today. 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  38. ^ "Singapore jails City Harvest megachurch founder and officials". BBC News. 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  39. ^ "City Harvest Trial: Start Of Sentence Deferred To Jan 2016 - City News". 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  40. ^ hermes (21 November 2015). "Jail terms for Kong Hee, fellow church leaders". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  41. ^ "Kong Hee, City Harvest leaders permanently barred from managing charities: MCCY". CNA. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  42. ^ "City Harvest trial: Prosecution appeals 'manifestly inadequate' sentences". MediaCorp Pte Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  43. ^ "City Harvest trial: All six convicted file notices of appeal". Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  44. ^ "City Harvest Church appeal: Case to be heard in September". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  45. ^ "City Harvest appeal: Kong Hee's sentence reduced to 3.5 years". Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  46. ^ "Singapore High Court cuts jail terms for Kong Hee and 5 City Harvest Church leaders". The Business Times. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  47. ^ hermes (12 April 2017). "City Harvest case: Some will start serving sentences by April 21". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  48. ^ hermesauto (19 April 2017). "City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee apologises for 'unwise' decisions, will start serving sentence on April 21". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  49. ^ a b c "INQUIRY FOUND MISCONDUCT AND MISMANAGEMENT IN THE CITY HARVEST CHURCH" (PDF).
  50. ^ "Public Prosecutor v Lam Leng Hung and other appeals" (PDF). www.singaporelawwatch.sg.
  51. ^ hermes (28 August 2013). "Xtron chief grilled on control of firm in CHC trial". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  52. ^ "Shanmugam on City Harvest case: Parliament to soon amend law on criminal breach of trust". sg.news.yahoo.com. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  53. ^ "City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee released from prison". CNA. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  54. ^ hermes (23 August 2019). "City Harvest founder Kong Hee out of prison". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  55. ^ "Kong Hee "so sorry" for pain & grief he caused church members, will "forever" be in their debt". mothership.sg. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  56. ^ "Kong Hee Devotion". Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  57. ^ a b Kong Hee 'plagiarised' book Archived 15 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, The Straits Times, 12 June 2010
  58. ^ City Harvest founder now accused of plagiarism, The Straits Times, 12 June 2010, pg A3
  59. ^ "Probe was traumatic for my son: Kong Hee". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  60. ^ Team, The Must Share News (2 September 2018). "Kong Hee's Sentosa Cove Penthouse Sold At $2 Million Loss After 3 Years". Must Share News - Independent News For Singaporeans. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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