Thursday, 28 June 2012

City Harvested

5 City Harvest leaders arrested
They will be charged in court today over misuse of $23m of church funds
By Ignatius Low, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

A TWO-YEAR police investigation into one of Singapore's biggest mega churches has ended with five of its leaders arrested and at least $23 million in church funds found misused.

The charismatic founder of City Harvest Church Kong Hee, and four others were nabbed on suspicion of using the money to finance the secular music career of his wife, pop singer Ho Yeow Sun, over three years, from 2007 to 2010.

This was despite City Harvest insisting repeatedly in public that it has not funded Ms Ho's career.

 The church's executive members were also allegedly never told that the funds were being used for this purpose.

 * All 6 accused, including founder Kong Hee, found guilty of all charges

 Apart from Mr Kong, 47, the spiritual leader and president of City Harvest's management board, the others arrested were:
- Mr Tan Ye Peng, 39, vice-president of the management board; 
- Mr John Lam Leng Hung, 44, member of the management board;
- Mr Chew Eng Han, in his 50s, the church's investment manager; and 
- Ms Sharon Tan Shao Yuen, 37, the church's finance manager.
The five will be charged today with conspiracy to commit criminal breach of trust as an agent. If convicted, each of them could be jailed for life and fined.

 Mr Tan Ye Peng, Mr Chew and Ms Sharon Tan will also be charged with conspiracy to falsify accounts. If convicted, each could be jailed up to 10 years and fined.

 The Straits Times understands police officers from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) arrested the five at their homes in a pre-dawn raid.

Mr Kong emerged from the Police Cantonment complex more than eight hours later at about 4pm. He later sent a Twitter message: 'Tough day ... I trust in You, Lord Jesus ... Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done!'

Ms Ho has not been arrested, but she and two others, Mr Kelvin Teo Meng How and Ms Jacqueline Tan Su Pheng, were suspended as board members or agents of the church by the Commissioner of Charities. It is not known if they will face charges.

City Harvest is one of Singapore's biggest Christian churches, with a congregation of 33,000 and net assets last estimated at $103 million in 2009.

This is the biggest case of misconduct at a registered charity since the high-profile scandals at the National Kidney Foundation in 2005 and Ren Ci Hospital in 2007, which saw both their chief executive officers eventually jailed for offences that included falsifying invoices and accounts. The scandals led to a massive clean-up of corporate governance practices in the charity sector.

Yesterday's arrests are the culmination of a two-year investigation by the CAD and the commission following a tip-off.

But the story began in 2003, when businessman Roland Poon alleged that the church was paying for Ms Ho's music career. He eventually retracted his statement and apologised, but the church came under intense media scrutiny.

A year before, the church embarked on 'The Crossover Project' which aimed to use Ms Ho's secular music to connect with people and reach out to non-Christians.

The commission found that between 2007 and 2010, unknown to its executive members, at least $23 million of church funds was used to underwrite this project.

In that period, at least $2.1 million was transferred to a branch in Kuala Lumpur to be scooped back into the Crossover Project.

Church donations and tithes were also funnelled to a private fund called the Multi-Purpose Account (MPA). This was an arrangement that The Straits Times understands was set up after the high-profile accusation of 2003.

From April 2007 to March 2010, the funds in this account were allegedly used to meet the expenditures of Mr Kong and Ms Ho amounting to about $3.6 million.

Selected donors were also asked to redirect donations for the church's building fund to the MPA on the quiet. Most did not know about the MPA and there was even an attempt to conceal its existence by closing a joint bank account and dealing only in cash.

In April 2009, a plan was also hatched to transfer a building fund donation of $600,000 by an individual donor to the MPA.

Church leaders had drafted letters from the donor and one other person indicating that the donation was to go instead to specific pastors and church employees as 'love gifts'. The recipients then routed these gifts to the MPA.

In a statement last night, City Harvest's executive pastor Aries Zulkarnain said that church operations, including weekend services, will continue as usual. He emphasised: 'There is no case being brought against the church.'




CHARGES FILED AGAINST INDIVIDUALS, NOT CHURCH

 'I would like to stress that the charges filed by CAD are against five individuals from the City Harvest Church (CHC) regarding the use of church funds. They are not filed against CHC itself. The CHC is free to continue its church services and activities.

'CAD carries out investigations when it receives information that a criminal offence may have been committed. CAD had previously investigated the National Kidney Foundation and Ren Ci.

'As the matter is now before the courts, we should let the law take its course and avoid speculation or making pre-judgments that may unnecessarily stir up emotions.'

 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean yesterday, commenting on the case





Church sent funds to US 'to finance Ho's career'
Watchdog uncovers misconduct and mismanagement from 2007 to 2010
By Yen Feng, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

AN INQUIRY by the Commissioner of Charities into the finances of City Harvest Church has exposed misconduct and mismanagement, particularly in the way its funds were managed from 2007 to 2010.

In a statement yesterday, the charities watchdog said that financial irregularities of at least $23 million from the church's funds have been discovered.

These funds were used 'with the purported intention to finance Ho Yeow Sun's secular music career to connect with people', said the commission.

The funds were funnelled to the United States, where Ms Ho - the wife of founding pastor Kong Hee - was based.


It was done mainly in two ways: through an affiliate church in Kuala Lumpur, and a private bank account set up by the church some time after 2003.

Between December 2007 and May 2010, at least $2.1 million was transferred from City Harvest to the Kuala Lumpur church.

The commission said that five people were aware of the 'true purpose' of the donations to the Kuala Lumpur church - pastors Kong Hee and Tan Ye Peng, as well as executive members Teo Meng How, Sharon Tan Shao Yuen and Serina Wee Gek Yin.

The controversy may be said to have begun a decade ago, in 2002, when Mr Kong and Ms Ho established The Crossover Project to use Ms Ho's singing career to reach out to non-Christians.

A year later, church member Roland Poon levied accusations at the church, saying it was using members' donations to fund the singer's music career.

The allegations gained widespread scrutiny and the church issued press statements and persuaded its members that the allegations were untrue. Mr Poon later issued a public apology and retracted his statements.

The commission said yesterday that the church had in fact used its funds to finance the project.

Over three years, at least $23 million in church donations was used. However, the church's executive members were not told of how the funds were being used, the commission added.

Besides using the Malaysian church to send money to the US, there were several donations and tithes that were re-directed to a private fund known as the Multi- Purpose Account.

Funds in this account were also used to finance Ms Ho's career, the charities board said, adding that it was administered by Ms Wee, the church's former finance manager and executive member, and Ms Jacqueline Tan, a staff member.

Between April 2007 and March 2010, at least $3.6 million from this private fund was used to pay for Mr Kong's and his wife's expenses, the commission said.

To keep the fund going, selected donors were asked to transfer their contributions - from the church's building fund to this private account.

Apart from this small group of members, the existence of the fund was not known to other church members. There was even an attempt to conceal the existence of the account by closing it and dealing only in cash transactions, the commission said.

In 2009, a plan was hatched by Mr Tan, Mr Chew, Ms Wee and Ms Sharon Tan to transfer a $600,000 building fund donation by an Indonesian businessman, Mr Wahju Hanafi, to the private account. Of this, $100,000 was used to finance a media team from Singapore to publicise Ms Ho's career in the US.

The commission said the transfer was done by drafting letters from the businessman and a third party stating that the donation was not to the building fund, but to some City Harvest pastors and members as 'love gifts'.

The recipients of the funds then re-deposited the $600,000 donation into the private fund. Investigations by the commission, however, uncovered evidence that 'strongly suggests' the letters were backdated.

It also uncovered instances where the church attempted to hide 'related party' transactions.

Between 2006 and 2008, a company headed by Mr Kong sold more than $3 million worth of goods to the church. Because of his ties to the church, these transactions should have been declared in the church's financial statements.

But they were not. The commission said Mr Kong, motivated by concerns that the books would be audited, returned $770,000 to the church. This 'refund' was concealed as a 'sales discount' given to the church by his company.

But the amount was later reimbursed to Mr Kong from funds collected through the private account and the Kuala Lumpur church. The refund was thus 'cosmetic' and he was never 'out of pocket', the commission said.

Those aware of this move were Mr Tan, Mr Teo, Ms Sharon Tan, Ms Wee and Ms Jacqueline Tan.

The commission also said the church had refunded donations of about $338,000 in two separate tranches to Mr Chew after he suffered some financial difficulties. The second payment of $98,000 was approved by the board nine months after Mr Chew received the full amount.

It added that Mr Chew's appointment as the church's investment manager was not properly tabled and discussed by the church's board.





Those involved were part of founder's inner circle
By Yen Feng, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

THOSE arrested yesterday were part of a tight inner circle entrusted by City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee to support his wife's music career and other church activities.

All are either founding members of the church or long-time members.

Mr Tan Ye Peng, 39; Mr John Lam Leng Hung, 44; and Mr Chew Eng Han, in his 50s, hold senior positions at the church or were former board members.

Mr Lam was secretary of the church's board and is now its chairman. He was one of several church members, along with Mr Chew, who publicly defended the church in 2003 against allegations that its funds were used to fund the music career of Mr Kong's wife, pop-singer Ho Yeow Sun.

Ms Sharon Tan, 37, was a member for more than 10 years before she took on the role of the church's finance director in 2007.

The other three church members suspended by the Commissioner of Charities yesterday, including Ms Ho, are among Mr Kong's trusted advisers.

Mr Kelvin Teo Meng Hao, 36, and Ms Jacqueline Tan, 38, were former personal aides to Mr Kong. Ms Jacqueline Tan is Mr Tan's wife.

Over the years, church members have set up a series of companies to support not only church activities but also Ms Sun's personal music ambition.

These include City Harvest Education Centre - later renamed City College - * a private school set up in 2002 by Mr Lam; City Care, a charity founded by Mr Tan in 2007; and the Business Breakthrough Group (BBG), a networking group started in 2005.

Mr Tan, who is senior pastor at City Harvest and second-in-command after Mr Kong, is also a former director of City College.

BBG, whose shareholders include Mr Lam and Mr Chew, was started by the church to 'outreach to the marketplace', the church said on its website.

Financial records of City Harvest show that between 2005 and 2009, loans of at least $3.8 million were paid to at least six companies and individuals with links to the church, including companies set up by some of the eight senior church members linked to the case so far.

The five arrested are said to have intimate knowledge of the church's little-known Multi-Purpose Account, used to fund Ms Ho's music career in Hollywood.

Sources said fewer than 50 members were in the know about the fund. These were church members who were invited personally by Mr Kong to be donors as a symbol of their loyalty, they said.

At least two other companies with links to the church are likely to have been involved in the commission's investigations, though none were named in its report released yesterday.

One is Xtron Productions, Ms Ho's artist management firm, which was founded in 2003 by Mr Chew. Some members of the church's executive committee recalled a meeting in 2007, during which Mr Kong pushed for a $7million investment in the firm.

Xtron also supplies the church with video and audio equipment, and acts on behalf of the church in its rental lease agreements.

The $7million Xtron investment is believed to have been a bid to keep the business profitable.

The church funds were channelled through Amac Capital Partners, where Mr Chew served as director in 2007 and which is now headed by general manager Henry Chee.

According to financial records filed by Xtron that year, the proceeds from the sale were used to buy a $17.5 million property in Upper Circular Road.

* WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
Published on 3th July, 2012, The Straits Times 
IN OUR June 27 report 'Those involved were part of inner circle', we said that City Harvest Education Centre - later renamed City College - was set up by City Harvest Church member Lam Leng Hung in 2002.
This is incorrect. The City Harvest Education Centre owned by Mr Lam was registered in 1994 and terminated five years later. This is a different entity from City College, whose former name was City Harvest Education Centre, which was incorporated in 2007. We are sorry for the error.




'$23 million bid for stardom'
Some industry insiders say money did not get pastor-singer very far
By Tan Dawn Wei and Ng Kai Ling, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

WHAT did a purported $23 million do for Ms Ho Yeow Sun's music career?

It apparently gave her four No. 1 hits on the Billboard dance charts, an English-language album produced by famed rapper-producer Wyclef Jean, a slick music video featuring her gyrating to a pulsating beat, and a US$20,000 (S$25,500) a month Hollywood Hills mansion.

Yesterday, Ms Ho's pastor husband and four others were arrested for allegedly misusing at least $23 million in church funds to finance her career without the knowledge of the church's executive members, who were not told how the funds were being used.

Efforts had also been made to conceal how the funds were diverted to this purpose, said the Commissioner of Charities.

Even as governance issues were raised by these revelations, some music industry insiders wondered whether the large sums thrown into boosting her career had paid off.

A director of an artist management company said: 'I don't think it's wrong to pursue a career in the US. But she really got nowhere, and after spending all that money.'

The money, it seems, was used to fund a grand plan the church had touted as The Crossover Project, an ambitious endeavour to expand the reach of Christianity through Ms Ho's secular music.

The project received wide support from church members when it was mooted around 2002, when Ms Ho, 42, was about to launch herself as a singer in Taiwan.

City Harvest Church member Gavin Gan, 38, said he had no problems with tithe money going towards this. 'I'm sure whatever they did, whatever we give to the church, it's for the church to expand,' said the marketing manager. 'I'm supportive of the church direction, which is to reach out to the secular world.'

Yesterday, some church members continued to stand by Ms Ho, and the project. 'It's not an easy feat for a local singer to have gone so far. One must have talent and put in hard work to achieve international star status. How many locals have done it?' said Ms Daryl Teo, 37, managing director of a public relations consultancy.

Ms Ho's 10-year music career - where she went from a wholesome 'pastor-singer' to a vampy dance artist - has been dogged by nagging allegations that her music career was being bankrolled by the church, where she was music director and which her husband Kong Hee founded.

In April, the church held a special 10th-year anniversary celebration of The Crossover Project, where Mr Kong gave a rundown of the strategy. He said he had received a calling to 'touch the entire Chinese-speaking world' when he went to Taiwan for a speaking engagement in 1999.

In 2002, Ms Ho launched her first Mandarin album, Sun With Love. In 2003, Ms Ho, popularly known as Sun Ho, said she was asked by Tonos Entertainment, an American music company, to do a few singles for the US market.

But online checks showed the company, which was co-owned by Grammy-winning producers David Foster and Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds, went out of business in September 2003.

Ms Ho appeared at the Grammy Awards in 2004 and worked on an English-language album, although it was never released. 'I feel like I'm doing my heritage proud,' she had said in 2006 when she was working on it.

But music insiders were doubtful she made it under her own steam. 'The Billboard dance chart is based on airplay, not sales. You just pay to promote yourself to get radio stations to play your songs,' said one senior music executive yesterday.

'You can just pay for a top-notch PR company and it will pull the strings to get you into events and award shows.'

A director of a record label here estimates it will cost between US$300,000 and $1 million to produce an album in the US.

A collaboration with Wyclef Jean could have cost between US$50,000 and US$300,000.

 The artist management company director said: 'Anybody can go to Hollywood. With money, you can go anywhere. The whole industry is for sale.'

Ms Ho has also faced criticism - some from within the church quarters - that members and church staff were strongly encouraged to buy her CDs.

Throughout her career, another thing remained constant: her husband's unwavering support of her career. The two met when Ms Ho joined the church as a volunteer in 1989. He proposed in 1992, even though they never dated, and they married six months later. The couple have a seven-year-old son.

In an interview with The Straits Times, she said she could never accept a man who would rein in her dreams. 'So I always say, I married a man who loves me more than I love him.'

She could not be reached yesterday, but Mr Mark Kwan, her stylist, said she was 'definitely distraught'.





The rock-star pastor
By Leonard Lim, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

PASTOR Kong Hee's affection for his 42-year-old wife Ho Yeow Sun deepened after she suffered two miscarriages, said church members and those within the couple's inner circle yesterday.

In public and at church, Mr Kong, 47, often has his arm around her waist, and would declare that his wife of 20 years is his source of support.

The couple, who are the founding members of the City Harvest Church, now have a seven-year- old son, Dayan.

Ms Elisa D'Silva, 28, who has attended the church since she was 15, said: 'I felt a great sense of love and comfort between them when they hugged and teared on stage during one service a few months ago.'

Mr Kong also said in a previous media interview: 'There is nothing that happens to Sun that I am not aware of. We are very close mentally, emotionally and spiritually.'

As recently as a week ago, they went on holiday in Thailand as a family. But yesterday, he was taken alone in the early morning from his Sentosa Cove penthouse and spent nearly eight hours being questioned by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).

At the centre of the charges that he and four others will face today is the alleged misuse of at least $23 million of church funds to finance his wife's singing career.

Wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, he declined comment when he emerged from the Police Cantonment Complex and was picked up by associates in a silver Volvo at about 4pm.

From mid-morning, as news spread about his arrest, his followers started offering words of solace on his Facebook page.

Members attributed his cult-like following to the former Raffles Institution boy's charismatic style of preaching, his regular use of social networking tools to encourage his members, and the rock-star image he projects with his chic Ed Hardy togs.

From a congregation of 20 youths meeting at a single-storey house in Katong when it started in 1989, City Harvest has swelled into a spiritual behemoth in Singapore and around the region.

As of November 2010, it recorded an average of 33,000 in weekly attendances.

It also has more than 40 affiliate churches in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and India.

Churchgoers said Mr Kong's ability to draw simple and relevant truths from biblical stories is the main reason for his appeal.

Mr Kong, a businessman and international conference speaker who became a Christian in 1975, also regularly exhorted his flock to practise 'marketplace evangelism'.

That meant practising the religion not just within the four walls of the church, but in workplaces and schools.

Another popular instruction was for church members to exercise the church's 'cultural mandate' - described by Mr Kong as the responsibility of members to practise the faith within a contemporary social setting.

Ms Lorraine Gan, a 39-year-old assistant director in a statutory board who started attending City Harvest last year, said: 'I like what they cover, in terms of spiritual and personal growth.'

Mr Kong's charisma and regular use of Bible passages on giving also helped convinced many to dip into their pockets to contribute to the church's funds.

Yesterday, quotes from a past sermon, in which he had equated financial giving to how much a Christian valued God, started making the rounds online.





Church members surprised but keep faith with leader
By Esther Teo, Daryl Chin, Ng Kai Ling, Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

SOME were surprised, others saw it coming. Mostly, they said they would stand by their pastor and church - at least for now - even if they were disappointed by the turn of events.

The Straits Times approached 25 parishioners of City Harvest Church yesterday and about half did not want to be interviewed, saying they wanted more information before making a judgment.

Of those who did speak, the overwhelming sentiment was that they still had faith in Pastor Kong Hee and the church.

Pharmacist Liu Yuan Tai, 28, said the congregation had been 'expecting something' about the probe and so were not totally surprised. 'But most of us are supportive of Pastor Kong, especially from what we know of him. We trust his integrity. Until more details of the case come out, we don't want to rush into any judgment yet. He might be vindicated,' he said.

Mother of two Carol Soh, 41, said 'I believe in my leaders... even though there might be some things happening to our leaders, we learn from it, and we want to move forward in the same direction'.

Many said they supported the church's vision of reaching out to the secular world through the music of Mr Kong's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun, popularly known as Sun Ho.

A businessman who wanted to be known only as Mr Oh, 37, said The Crossover Project 'started with good intentions to reach out.'

He added: 'I am still supportive as we've seen the fruits of the project, with thousands benefiting both here and overseas. As a church, I would like us to move forward and go on.'

The parishioners said they were aware that their tithe money - typically 10 per cent of their income - was helping Ms Ho propel her music career, but added they had not been told how much was being used for this.

That some $23 million was used to fund her career did not rattle their faith, they said. While the amount was big, Ms Ho did relatively well in the American music scene, they pointed out.

Members said there had not been any sign that anything was amiss in recent weeks. Pastor Kong had led the service on Sunday with Ms Ho in attendance.

Support for the pastor poured in online after the news broke, with many taking to Twitter and Facebook to express this. Many of those interviewed saw the episode as an opportunity for the church to learn and grow as a family.

Entrepreneur Elim Chew, 45, said: 'City Harvest has been my family for 21 years and a family comes together in challenging times... The church has a capable team that will be able to lead the church through this time.'

The church's executive pastor Aries Zulkarnian, 39, is understood to be at the helm. A founding member, he was left to lead the church after the departure of executive pastor Derek Dunn last December.

In a statement posted on the church's website at about 8pm, Mr Zulkarnian did not refer to the arrests of the five members. He just said they had been 'informed to attend court tomorrow', and that 'there is no case that is being brought against the Church'.

He said the church's advisory committee, comprising Dr Phil Pringle, founder of Christian City Church in Sydney, and Dr A.R. Bernard, founder of Christian Cultural Centre in New York, will continue to provide 'spiritual leadership'. 'Church operations and cell group meetings will continue as usual, including all weekend services at Singapore Expo and Jurong West,' he said.

A spokesman said Mr Zulkarnain and the management board will take over the management and daily running of the church.

It is understood that the church's original 10-member management board is now down to seven, following the suspensions of Pastor Kong Hee, Mr Tan Ye Peng and Mr John Lam Leng Hung, who were arrested yesterday.

The Straits Times understands that Dr Pringle will arrive today and will preach this weekend.





When it comes to leadership, faith alone won't do
By Ignatius Low, The Straits Times, 27 Jun 2012

IT IS an age-old tale. Charismatic leaders appear at the head of an organisation. Like a breath of fresh air, they are strong-willed, decisive and daringly unconventional.

They roll up their sleeves building the organisation from scratch. They lead by example, winning over customers and inspiring colleagues in equal measure.

But as they, and the organisations they lead, become more and more successful, they start to attain cult-like status.

Their decisions begin to seem irreproachable. Their staff begin to second guess their intentions in order not to displease. Few dare to express disagreement.

Is this what happened at the mega church City Harvest, where five church leaders and board members were arrested yesterday for criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts, and another three suspended?

Could such a theory explain how the 10-member management board of one of the biggest churches in Singapore could have possibly approved the use of over $23 million in church funds to promote the musical career of one woman: church founder Kong Hee's wife Ho Yeow Sun?

Were many of them too close to Pastor Kong, having been appointed to the board by him? Had his spectacular success at growing City Harvest put him beyond questioning or reproach?

Today, the five will be charged and the courts will determine their innocence or guilt.

History, though, is littered with stories of the cult of personality seeding the downfall of people and the demise of organisations.

Take Lehman Brothers, the storied US investment bank that collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.

Chief executive Dick Fuld was a legend, taking charge of the bank in 1993 and delivering 55 straight quarters of healthy profits. In the top seat for 14 years, he was the longest-tenured CEO on Wall Street then.

'To say he was surrounded with a cult of personality would be an understatement,' said former Lehman head of corporate communications Andrew Gowers.

Mr Fuld was 'almost unbearably intense', inspiring great loyalty and fear. 'Those closest to him slaved like courtiers to a medieval monarch... insulating him from almost anything he might not want to hear,' said Mr Gowers.

The problem with charismatic and powerful leaders like Mr Fuld is that they often inspire an almost unfailing loyalty among their followers. The danger is that these same loyalists are often put in positions of power precisely because of this very attribute.

If principles of good corporate governance can break down in profit-making entities like Lehman, with everyone from shareholders to financial regulators keeping these cult-like leaders in check, then they can break down in non-commercial bodies as well.

In fact, such checks run up against the moral roles of such organisations, with more people willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The 2005 National Kidney Foundation (NKF) scandal is an example closer to home that many will remember. One of the key findings into the investigation into abuse of power on the part of long-time CEO T.T. Durai was that the NKF board mainly comprised his close associates.

NKF chairman Richard Yong was said to have allowed the CEO to dictate to him. The NKF board met just once a year. Some directors did not even know exactly how much Mr Durai was paid.

No one dared to question what was going on largely due to the phenomenal success of NKF's fund-raising efforts led by him.

But the NKF is a secular outfit. Once you throw religion into the mix, corporate governance checks become more complex, since a leader's authority is often perceived to be derived from God.
The indictment of the Venerable Ming Yi, a charismatic Buddhist leader who was both chairman and CEO of Ren Ci Hospital, for unauthorised loans and expenditures is a sober reminder.

The City Harvest case is one that any other successful organisation with cult-like leaders should take heed of. Is there an effective chairman or board of directors sufficiently independent from the leaders that run the organisation or manage its sizeable resources?

Are its finances, investments, subsidiary companies and activities transparently accounted for on a regular basis and checked by an independent party? Are there avenues for raising alternative views that leaders may not brook?

If the answers to these questions are 'no', then the City Harvest case should set off warning chimes to churches, charities and corporations all over Singapore.

Everyone wants to have total faith in a popular and successful leader. The problem is that sometimes, faith alone just won't do.
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