City Harvest appeal: Reduced sentences for all six church leaders

The Court of Appeal on Friday (April 7) allowed the appeals of City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and five other church leaders against their convictions to a limited extent and reduced their sentences.

Kong, 52, who had been sentenced to an eight-year jail term was given three-and-a-half instead.

Serina Wee, 40, CHC’s former finance manager, gets two-and-a-half years, reduced from five years.

Deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, 44 , gets three years and two months, reduced from five-and-a-half years.

Former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han, 56, gets three years and four months, reduced from six years.

Former CHC finance manager Sharon Tan, 41, gets seven months, down from 21 months.

John Lam, 49, former CHC finance committee member, gets one-and-a-half years, down from three years.

Kong and the other five church leaders had appealed against their convictions and sentences after they were found guilty of misappropriating about $50 million of church funds in Oct 2015.

The prosecution, on the other hand, had called for stiffer sentences.

The appeal was heard by a three-judge panel, including Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin and Justices Woo Bih Li and Chan Seng Onn.