SINGAPORE — Defence lawyers in the trial of six City Harvest Church leaders today (Aug 29) sought to show that Xtron Productions and the church were transparent with their auditors.

Asked by accused Tan Ye Peng’s lawyer, Senior Counsel N Sreenivasan, why both parties used the same auditors, Xtron director Choong Kar Weng said it was “for transparency’s sake”.

“There’s nothing to hide,” he said.

Mr Choong, the prosecution’s witness, agreed with Mr Sreenivasan that this arrangement made it transparent that church building funds were being invested in Xtron, which used the money for the music career of Ms Ho Yeow Sun — accused and church co-founder Kong Hee’s wife, who was managed by Xtron from 2003 to 2008.

Mr Choong also said no supporters of the Crossover Project — Ms Ho’s pop music career to get more people into Christianity — would ever want the church to bear losses.

Senior Counsel Andre Maniam, lawyer of Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, another one of the accused, showed that law firm Rajah & Tann acted for Xtron in several transactions including its purchase of Riverwalk, its advance rental licence agreement with the church and for its purchase of bonds issued by a glass company called Firna.

This would mean the firm understood what one transaction meant for another, Mr Maniam argued.

Earlier this week, the prosecution produced a March 2010 email by Mr Choong to Kong that raised the idea of criminal breach of trust (CBT) in the church’s transactions with other entities. Mr Choong went on to write that he did not think any CBT had been committed.

Asked by Mr Maniam if he still held this view today, Mr Choong said yes.