Church founder Kong Hee and five City Harvest Church leaders were found guilty on October 21, 2015, of misappropriating around S$50 million in church funds, some S$24 million of which bankrolled the pop-music career of Kong's wife Sun Ho. Kong's eight-year sentence was later reduced to three and a half years on appeal.
The case, one of the longest criminal trials in Singapore's history at 142 days, centred on the church's Crossover Project. Prosecutors showed that approximately S$24 million had been funnelled into sham bonds to bankroll the pop-music career of Kong's wife, Ho Yeow Sun, better known as Sun Ho, whose racy music videos and lavish lifestyle had long attracted controversy. A further S$26 million was used to cover the tracks of the initial diversion.
The six convicted were Kong, deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, former finance managers Serina Wee and Sharon Tan, former finance committee member John Lam, and former fund manager Chew Eng Han. Kong was originally sentenced to eight years' jail, the heaviest of the six, with the others receiving terms ranging from 21 months to six years.
The verdict gripped the city-state, where cases of fraud mixed with faith are rare. City Harvest, which preaches a prosperity gospel blending spiritual and material aspirations, stood by its leaders throughout, maintaining that Sun Ho's music was a form of outreach to non-Christians. Dozens of supporters turned up at court, and Kong smiled and waved to them even as he appeared in prison garb.
On April 7, 2017, a three-judge High Court panel reduced all six sentences in a split 2-1 decision, substituting the original charges of criminal breach of trust by an agent with the less serious offence of simple criminal breach of trust. Kong's term was cut to three and a half years; Tan Ye Peng's to three years and two months; Chew Eng Han's to three years and four months; Serina Wee's to two and a half years; John Lam's to 18 months; and Sharon Tan's to seven months.
The prosecution then sought a criminal reference to the Court of Appeal on questions of law of public interest. On February 1, 2018, a unanimous five-judge panel ruled that the reduced sentences would stand, ending nearly five years of legal battles. Chew Eng Han later received an additional jail term for attempting to leave Singapore unlawfully.
The scandal left a lasting mark on charity governance in Singapore, prompting tighter scrutiny of how religious and charitable organisations manage donations, and it remains the benchmark case whenever large-scale misuse of charitable funds makes headlines.