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City Harvest appeal: Lawyer says Serina Wee was merely an ‘administrator’

SINGAPORE – City Harvest Church’s (CHC) former finance manager Serina Wee was merely an administrator of the Crossover Project – an evangelisation tool using church co-founder Sun Ho’s music to draw the masses – and played a “limited role” in most of the offences, said her lawyer Senior Counsel Andre Maniam.

City Harvest Church’s former finance manager Serina Wee played a “limited role” in most of the offences, said her lawyer. Photo: Nuria Ling

City Harvest Church’s former finance manager Serina Wee played a “limited role” in most of the offences, said her lawyer. Photo: Nuria Ling

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SINGAPORE – City Harvest Church’s (CHC) former finance manager Serina Wee was merely an administrator of the Crossover Project – an evangelisation tool using church co-founder Sun Ho’s music to draw the masses – and played a “limited role” in most of the offences, said her lawyer Senior Counsel Andre Maniam.

In his submissions for the appeal, Mr Maniam sought to downplay Wee’s role in the farce, claiming that she had no intention to defraud, and was merely acting in the best interests of the church.

Wee, 40, returned to court on Monday afternoon (Sept 19) as the last of six church leaders to mount an appeal against her convictions and sentences. Faced with six charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsification of accounts, Wee was sentenced to five years’ jail in a district court last year for misappropriating over S$50 million of church funds to build Ms Ho’s music career.

Together with her accomplices, Wee was found guilty of redirecting the church’s Building Fund monies into sham bond investments in Xtron – the company that managed Ms Sun – and glass manufacturer, Firna. More church funds were later used to cover up the misuse of the first sum.

However Mr Manian pointed out: “She was not entrusted with any of the funds that are the subject of the criminal breach of trust offences … She was not a signatory to any of the payments made out of CHC’s funds.”

He also stressed that Wee had left CHC after the first drawdown of the Xtron bonds. But during her stint as the church’s finance manager, she had always believed that the bonds were investments.

Said her lawyer: “There is ample evidence that Serina did not think that, if CHC controlled Xtron, that would invalidate the Xtron bonds as an investment. There is nothing sinister in those involved … to feel responsible for the success of the Crossover, and in the event of an adverse outcome, to find a solution to keep the Church from harm.”

In the district court, the judge highlighted an email in which Wee had stated that Ms Ho’s album sales were estimated at 200,000 – signaling that she was well aware during the execution of the Xtron bond subscription agreement that the album sales could not generate sufficient revenue for the redemption of the bonds.

Disagreeing with the finding, Mr Maniam said that this was merely a worst case scenario, and that Wee had expected 1.5 million albums to be sold in reality. He added that her interactions with the American music producers was limited to administrative and payment matters, and had nothing to do with album projects or strategic decisions. Sales estimates were provided by her accomplices – church founder and Ms Ho’s husband Kong Hee, and senior pastor Tan Ye Peng.

“Serina did however believe that Sun Ho would succeed in the US market,” he said. “What (she) expected, was sales of 1.5 million albums, a profit to Xtron, and Xtron being able to repay the bonds on maturity.”

With the defence concluding their case for the appeals, the prosecution will make their case on Tuesday.

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