Convicted City Harvest Church leaders back in court for conclusion to marathon case

SINGAPORE — Convicted City Harvest Church (CHC) founder Kong Hee and five of his former deputies were back in court on Thursday morning (Feb 1) for the likely conclusion to the marathon case for which investigations began in 2010 and whose trial began nearly five years ago.

The Court of Appeal is due to deliver its verdict, more than five months after hearing prosecutors' arguments against the High Court's decision last year to impose shorter jail sentences on the six former CHC leaders. Their jail terms were slashed to between seven months and 3.5 years, down from between 21 months and eight years.

Kong, 52, his former deputy Tan Ye Peng, 44, former finance manager Serina Wee, 40, and former finance committee member John Lam, 49, are serving their jail terms.

Former finance manager Sharon Tan, 41, has already completed her seven-month sentence, while the church's former fund manager Chew Eng Han, 57, is out on bail pending the court's decision.

Dressed in purple prison jumpsuits, Kong, Lam, Wee, and Tan Ye Peng looked solemn as they were escorted into the courtroom at around 9am. Kong, sporting a head of white hair, flashed a smile and waved at his supporters as he took a seat in the dock.

Wee had short, shoulder-length hair, while Tan Ye Peng also nodded at the supporters, some of whom queued up for tickets to the courtroom from as early as 3.30am on Thursday.

Sharon Tan, who has been released from prison, nodded and flashed a smile at her four fellow convicted CHC members in the dock when she entered the courtroom. Chew was the last to arrive in the courtroom.