SINGAPORE: Singapore's City Harvest Church founder and top pastor Kong Hee saw his bail double on Wednesday to S$1 million, twice the original amount set. The move was in response to Hee asking the court for permission to leave the country in order to attend to church-related meetings in Southeast Asia. The court approved the request. It remains unclear whether Kong will travel. The past is one of six members of the church to face charges in what is believed to be the largest financial scandal to hit Singapore's charity sector to date. He was arrested in June and accused of “dishonestly misappropriating monies" from the church's building fund to promote and support the pop music career of his wife, Sun Ho, who is in her early 40s. Bikyamasr.com has followed the controversy closely over the weeks, highlighting the inside workings of the mega-church. The issue has struck home for many Christians in the country who feel the situation in Singapore for them is being tarnished by the actions of a few individuals. The founder of Singapore's embattled City Harvest Church Kong issued a statement late on Wednesday detailing the charges against him as well as maintaining that he did not participate in any wrongdoing and again maintained his “integrity." “The Prosecution has brought three charges against me, which I have carefully considered with my lawyers," he began in a statement to the media. “I do maintain my integrity, and will rigorously defend that integrity against these charges," Kong continued. He is charged with misusing church funds and corruption charges as the head of the Singapore mega-church. If convicted, he could face a lengthy jail sentence. “I have and will continue to place my faith and trust in our judicial system. I will explain the facts and circumstances to the Court, and am confident that I will be vindicated. “Sun and I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for all the people who have blessed us with their love, kindness and prayers during this challenging period of time. We have been tremendously humbled by the support and encouragement from the public, family and friends. We especially thank all those from City Harvest Church and the Christian community at large. They have been a constant source of strength. “I respect the Court proceedings which are underway, and will not make any comment about the charges until the appropriate time and forum." The case was adjourned on Wednesday until August 30. In late June, as the church was charged with misusing some $50 million of church money, they appointed New Zealand's Reverend Phil Pringle and Reverend A.R. Bernard to function as advisory pastors in order to maintain services for worshipers without break. Pringle is the founder and senior minister of Christian City Church in Sydney, Australia. But now that he is in Singapore, working for a church embattled with corruption charges, he has become targeted by the Christian watchdog organization C3 Church Watch, which tasks itself with overseeing good practices at Christian organizations globally. The group's blog said that it was “designed to watch and monitor C3 Church and its pastors, specifically Phil Pringle." It has raised questions about the New Zealand-born pastor's religious credentials and teachings. It is the latest in a weeklong battle over embezzlement charges and fears that the situation could potentially see the end of City Harvest, which hosted some 14,000 over the weekend in services. Controversy The church's founder Kong Hee was quick to acknowledge why some 8,000 people had packed into the church earlier this month for his sermon. “I also know that you are all here tonight to hear something from me. “As you know, the past few days have been very challenging for me, my family and my team, and many allegations have been made in the media. “Obviously, as this is an ongoing case, I cannot comment on the details, but please know that there are always two sides to every story. I look forward to the day when I can tell you my side of the story in court," he said. Seven minutes into his sermon about a woman who had worshiped Jesus humbly, Kong stopped and told his congregation, “Yes, I do maintain my integrity." But it comes on the back of much controversy and uncertainty regarding the church's future. Singapore's City Harvest Church Executive Pastor Aries Zulkarnain said last Thursday evening that he and his Church stand by members accused of embezzling and misusing funds. He said the Church will maintain support for the accused throughout the court proceedings. Another pastor from the Church, Bobby Chaw, added that City Harvest has “actively worked to ensure good governance and have complied with codes set by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports." Five members of City Harvest Church were charged by a court on Wednesday of corruption, misuse of funds and embezzlement, Channel NewsAsia reported. The report said the court charged City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee with three charges, while senior pastor Tan Ye Peng faces 10 charges. Finance manager Tan Shao Yuen faces seven charges. Senior member Chew Eng Han also faces 10 charges and former secretary of the church's management board Lam Leng Hung faces three charges. The five allegedly diverted some S$23 million (RM57 million) of the church's money to fund Ho Yeow Sun's music career in the United States. Ho is Kong Hee's wife. CNA said they were charged for another S$26.6 million (RM66 million) of misappropriated funds, used to redeem “sham bonds" to cover their tracks.
