Overnight queue forms for CHC trial verdict
Ahead of the much-anticipated verdict for the City Harvest Church (CHC) trial Wednesday morning, a queue of dozens of people formed overnight at the State Courts building.
At 11.40pm on Tuesday outside the building at Havelock Square, two persons were spotted queuing. They were not CHC members and declined to be photographed.
By 4.40am on Wednesday, more than 70 people had joined the queue, many of them having trickled in from 2am.
One of the first two people to line up, Benjamin Lam, said he came as early as 9pm. The 58-year-old, who is in the real estate business, said, “As a Christian, it is natural for me to be interested in the case," adding that while he could have read about the verdict in the local newspapers, it was not the same as listening to it being delivered first-hand.
He also said he expected CHC members to arrive at the State Courts in a few hours’ time to join the queue.
Passes for members of the public to attend the CHC trial will only be handed out at 7.15am.
Judge See Kee Oon is set to deliver his verdict on Wednesday on CHC founder Kong Hee and five other church leaders, who are accused of misusing church funds to finance the Crossover Project involving the music career of Ho Yeow Sun, Kong’s wife.
They are alleged to have used $24 million on Ho, before using another $26.6 million to cover it up using two companies, Xtron and Firna, which are both owned by CHC supporters.
Criminal breach of trust is punishable with a life sentence, or up to 20 years in prison and a fine. For falsifying accounts, the punishment is a maximum of 10 years in jail, a fine, or both.
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