Prosecution seeks longer sentence for CHC leaders

SINGAPORE — The prosecution for the trial against six City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders has appealed against the sentences imposed on them, while three of the six, among them church founder Kong Hee, said they intend to appeal against their conviction.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers today (Nov 27) said in a media statement that the prosecution had “carefully considered the written grounds” and filed notices of appeal, saying the sentences were “manifestly inadequate, in all the circumstances of the case”. 

Last Friday, the six CHC leaders were sentenced by Presiding Judge of the State Courts See Kee Oon, with Kong receiving the heaviest sentence of eight years. The others received between 21 months and six years. They had been found guilty last month of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts.

Deputy public prosecutor Christopher Ong had called for the six to be jailed for about five to 12 years each to reflect the gravity of their offences. But Judge See, delivering his sentence, had said while the case involved huge sums of charity monies and serious breaches of trust, there was no personal gain and no financial loss to the church. 

He also said the six believed they were working with the support of the church, and while the return of funds to CHC does not demonstrate remorse entirely, it should not be negated.

Today, Kong, who was deemed the most culpable by Judge See, said on Facebook he intended to appeal against his conviction. “Whilst I respect the court’s decision, there are points which appear to be erroneous and warrant appeal,” he said. 

Kong’s deputy, Tan Ye Peng, also intends to appeal against his conviction, said his lawyer N Sreenivasan today. 

When contacted, Chew Eng Han, CHC’s former investment manager, reiterated he would appeal against his sentence as well, while lawyer Paul Seah, acting for former church finance manager Sharon Tan, said they were still considering their options. 

Lawyers for Serina Wee and John Lam could not be reached by press time. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KELLY NG