City Harvest trial: Kong Hee to appeal against 8-year jail term
City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee said on Facebook on Friday (Nov 27) that he will be filing an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence.
The 51-year-old church leader was found guilty of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts in October. He was sentenced last Friday (Nov 20) to eight years' jail.
Out of the six church leaders who were convicted of misusing millions in church funds, he received the harshest sentence.
Kong wrote in his Facebook post: "Whilst I respect the Court’s decision, there are points which appear to be erroneous and warrant appeal. I will therefore be preparing to file an appeal against both my conviction and sentence."
He added: "I sincerely need your prayers during this process for a favorable outcome. The road ahead is long and arduous, but God’s grace is sufficient for me. I love and appreciate you so much."
His statement came hours after the Attorney General's Chambers said it had filed notices of appeal against the "manifestly inadequate" sentences imposed on all six church leaders.
Kong's Facebook post included a link to a three-page document titled My Appeal Statement.
The statement comprised 10 paragraphs about the trials faced by a character from the Bible and around two paragraphs concerning himself.
He ended it off by saying: "It has been a very long and difficult journey since 31 May 2010, but I have always felt God’s loving presence and your unfailing support. I am so blessed by your friendship. Thank you for loving me and my family."
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Prosecution wants more jail time for all 6 City Harvest Church leaders
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