The imminent breakup of their marriage may be the least of the problems
popular mega-church pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, and his wife, Anita, are
facing at the moment as the United Kingdom agency is investigating the
UK branch of their church, Christ Embassy, over controversial payments.
The United Kingdom Charity Commission has launched a probe into the
transfer of at least N941 million (£3.6 million) by the church to
overseas entities between 2008 and 2012.
In a statement on
Wednesday, the Charity Commission said it has opened a statutory inquiry
to investigate Christ Embassy over “a number of serious concerns
relating to the use of charitable funds, in particular large connected
party payments and the potential misapplication of grant funding.”
According
to the Charity Commission, which is the regulator of charities in
England and Wales, statutory inquiries are only opened to investigate
“the most serious” regulatory breaches.
The commission said the
purpose of the inquiry is to “determine whether there has been any
mismanagement or misconduct on behalf of the charity trustees; to
establish whether charitable funds have been properly applied and take
appropriate remedial action if necessary.”
The investigation was
initiated in July 2013, but after interviewing members of the board of
trustees and perusing the records and books of the church for a year,
the commission was still not convinced that the church has been prudent
in managing its finances.
Subsequently, the UK tax authority, HM
Revenue and Customs, has withheld N711.4 million (£ 2.7 million) due to
the church in donation between 2008 and 2012 until the conclusion is
resolved.
On August 11, the commission effectively side-lined the
church’s board of trustees and appointed an interim manager to take over
the management of the church.
In what it described as a
“temporary and protective measure,” the commission appointed Rod Weston
of the international audit and accounting firm, Mazars, to take over the
running of the church.
Until investigation is concluded, Mr.
Weston would “take over the management of the charity, including its
staff, assets, interests, and relations with third parties,” the
commission said. He is also expected to discharge the functions of the
church’s trustees and take steps necessary to secure and take control of
the assets of the church.
The commission however added that the
activities of the church would not be suspended by the appointment as
the Interim Manager is expected to work with the pastors of the church
to ensure its religious and charity activities continue as before.
Curious payments
Although
the Charity Commission said it does not provide details of ongoing
cases so as not to jeopardize the investigations, PREMIUM TIMES
assessment of the case however revealed that the church may have made
curious payment worth at least N941 million ((£3.6 million) to
individuals and companies closely connected with it.
A study of
the church’s financial statements from 2009 to 2012 posted on the
Charity Commission’s websites, show that approximately N403 million
(£1,572,047) was paid to Love World Limited from the transmission of the
church’s broadcast.
Curiously, the sole director of Love World
Limited and sole shareholder is one Pastor Obiora Chiemeka who is also
listed as a trustee of the church. Mr. Chiemeka was appointed a trustee
in 2009, the year the church began to make the payment to his company.
The
church also paid an estimated N538.5 million (£2.1 million) as grants
to mostly Nigerian partner organisations between 2008 and 2012. On a
closer look, PREMIUM TIMES discovered that some of the charges the
payments were said to cover were arbitrary, suggesting they might have
been used for other purposes other than what they were listed for.
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