Convicted S’pore church leader tries fleeing to Malaysia in boat

Man convicted of misusing City Harvest Church funds nabbed by coastguard, who allege he was trying to get to Malaysia from Pulau Ubin using fishing boat.

PETALING JAYA: One of six former City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders who had been convicted over misuse of church funds in Singapore allegedly tried to leave the country illegally today by taking a boat to Malaysia, the Straits Times reported.

Chew Eng Han, 57, was due to start his 40-month jail term from tomorrow for his part in the largest misuse of charitable funds in Singapore’s history.

According to the Singapore police coastguard, Chew was found with $5,000 (RM14,800) in cash and some fishing equipment when he was nabbed together with the man who operated the boat just before 9am.

Chew and the boatman had reportedly told the police that they had just been out fishing.

“However, based on information received earlier, police established that the two men were trying to leave Singapore illegally from Pulau Ubin to Malaysia.

“They were also not doing anything on the boat to indicate they were fishing,” the daily said in its report.

Pulau Ubin is an island situated in the northeast of Singapore with about 100 villagers. It is just a 15-minute boat ride away from the mainland.

The two men are expected to be charged under the Immigration Act for “attempting to leave Singapore unlawfully at an unauthorised point of departure”.

Police later arrested Chew’s brother for allegedly abetting in the escape attempt.

Chew was one of six City Harvest Church leaders, who in 2015 were convicted of using S$24 million from a church building fund to help the wife of principal leader, Kong Hee, Sun Ho, become a recording artiste.

They were also found guilty of misappropriating another S$26 million from the church to cover their tracks with a complex web of financial transactions.

Chew, who was the church board’s vice-president and treasurer, had been sentenced to six years in jail, while the other five received jail terms ranging from 21 months to eight years.

However, all their sentences were reduced on a technicality last year by the High Court.

Four of the leaders had already started serving their sentence and are currently in jail, while one woman has already served all seven months she was given.

State prosecutors had sought for the harsher sentences to be reinstated but this was denied by the Court of Appeal earlier this month

According to Straits Times, Chew remained out on bail as he sought multiple deferments pending the Court of Appeal’s final decision on the reduced sentences.

He got a further deferment, with the courts agreeing to let him start his sentence after the Chinese New Year.

Pastor in Singapore church fraud escapes harsher jail term

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