SINGAPORE, May 19 — City Harvest Church (CHC) co-founder and pop singer Ho Yeow Sun was always “under the impression” that her music would be a hit in the United States, with A-list producers – who have handled the likes of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake involved in what would have been her first US album.
Taking the stand for the first time today as a witness, Ho, 42, testified that she was not involved in budgeting for the album, a centrepiece in the long-running trial involving six of the church’s leaders, including her husband and CHC founder Kong Hee. However, she recalled projected marketing expenses to be “in line with that of (Columbian singer) Shakira’s”.
Kong and five others are accused of misappropriating millions from church coffers to fund Ho’s pop music career and evangelical forays into the US market under what is dubbed the Crossover Project.
It is the prosecution’s case that S$24 million in church building funds was misused to buy sham bonds in two companies, while another S$26.6 million of church funds was then allegedly circulated through complex transactions to cover the first sum.
Before a full public gallery, Ho said she was working towards “sales of multi-millions” for the US album.
“I always remember Wyclef Jean (music producer and Haitian hip hop artist) mentioning multi-millions, so that is the number in my heart that I was working towards,” she said.
The album was never launched, but Ho maintained today that it was only held back.
Even when the Commercial Affairs Department investigations into the alleged misdeeds started in 2010, her team still held regular discussions on photo-shoots and choreography for the album, Ho said in response to Senior Counsel Edwin Tong, who represents Kong.
“In my mind, it was never a closed deal...if God (is) willing, I still want to complete the Crossover...it will be my greatest desire to be able to finish it,” she said.
Earlier in the day, the question of “wild fluctuations” in the sales figures of Ho’s past albums, as reported by various sources, had been put to her by CHC’s former investment manager Chew Eng Han, who had called Ho as a witness.
Referring to email correspondence between Ho and producers in the US, Chew, one of the accused, questioned how she had concluded that her first five Mandarin albums could have sold four million copies when evidence—such as financial statements of her managing company Xtron Productions —showed otherwise.
“There was no way you would have believed that the albums sold four million copies,” contended Chew, who is conducting his own defence.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng argued that Ho was not in a position to give evidence on the financial success of the albums, given how she merely had “impressions” that they did well based on concert crowds but was unaware of how that translated into profits.
Today, Chew also called on a second witness, former church member Sun Yuen Ping. She testified that in 2007, she and her husband had “invested” S$350,000 in Xtron and the Crossover under Chew’s introduction.
They never got the returns they were promised, she said.
However, Sun, who testified in Mandarin, said their doubts were dismissed by church leaders. “One of the pastors said we should not be suspicious of our leaders. We should trust (them). We should not have any queries,” she added.
The trial continues tomorrow. — TODAY
