City Harvest trial: Sun Ho's China wine was meant to convert people to Christianity

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City Harvest trial: Sun Ho's music was meant to convert people to Christianity

Defence lawyers for City Harvest Church argued that Sun Ho's Crossover Project was the church’s main vision and mission. It was meant to convert people to Christianity via Ms Ho’s secular music. To do that, Ms Ho had to "cross over to secular music".

An article in The Straits Times reported that the six defence lawyers for the accused City Harvest Church leaders put on a concerted show in court yesterday about the value and validity of the Crossover Project – and Ms Ho Yeow Sun’s secular pop music career.

If the church had directly funded the project and people outside of the church came to know of its involvement, that might have “defeated the purpose”, said Mr Khoo. Thus, the church needed external companies such as Xtron Productions to fund and manage Ms Ho’s career.

So, it would be “reasonably apparent” that Xtron would need money for the purpose of the project, argued Senior Counsel Kannan Ramesh. If the church was investing in Xtron through buying its bonds, it also should be apparent some of that money would be going to the project.

Prosecutors have maintained that the project and the support the church has for it has nothing to do with the criminal charges faced by the six accused church leaders, which were for misappropriating church building funds for Ms Ho’s career by funnelling them through companies like Xtron set up by church members and concealing such efforts.

When examined yesterday, third witness Koh Siow Ngea, a former Xtron director, said he had “faith” in the Crossover Project.

He elaborated that it was “the confidence of the things not seen”, and this could apply to Ms Ho’s potential pop career in the United States, as the project had been “very successful” in Asia.
Lawyers also pointed out the over 500 executive church members did not object to the use of building funds for investments. In the agreement for City Harvest’s purchase of $13 million worth of Xtron bonds, a clause also specifically states that the bond proceeds be used for the production and marketing of music albums.

That supposed “round-tripping” that the leaders have been accused of is also legitimate, argued defence counsel.

Mr Koh agreed when Senior Counsel Andre Maniam put it to him that there was “nothing wrong” in Xtron using church money to invest in Firna bonds as it “made sense to invest so that you get a return”.

Lawyer Edwin Tong also tried to show that Xtron was a viable and independent business; and that Mr Koh was chosen to head Xtron because of his experience.

Lawyers yesterday got Mr Koh to tell the court that he sits on the board of several profitable property companies.

While City Harvest was the biggest client for Xtron, the firm had “a broad breadth of businesses”, noted Mr Tong, and did work for events like Asian Youth Games.
The trial continues today.


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