05 December 2024 , 12:36
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Several evangelical pastors in East and North-East London exploited children’s charity funds to steal over 1 million British pounds, betraying the trust of their communities.
British authorities have sent two evangelical church officials in East and North-East London to prison for stealing from children’s charity funds through fraudulent gift aid claims. One bought a house and the other turned into a loan shark. A third pastor received a suspended sentence.
The Snaresbrook Crown Court sentenced Kwabena Duodu, a former accountant for a national children’s charity, to 10 years in prison for orchestrating the 1.5 million pounds ($1.9 million) fraud, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) stated Tuesday.
Duodu was convicted of 10 counts of cheating the public revenue and seven counts of furnishing false information.
HMRC said Duodu exploited his knowledge of the charity sector to file false claims for 10 evangelical churches. Gift aid allows charities to reclaim 25 pence for every pound donated.
According to HMRC, Duodu conspired with others, including a “crooked preacher,” to use the details of multiple churches—both his own and others—as part of the scheme. He spent part of the stolen funds on a 550,000 pounds ($697,665) family home.
Moses Asare, head pastor of Praise Harvest Community Church, was sentenced to seven years for his role in the fraud. Asare took 320,000 pounds ($405,876) from Duodu, helping persuade other churches to trust Duodu with their claims. He used some of the money to act as a loan shark, charging his congregation members 120 percent interest.
Asare was convicted of five counts of cheating the public revenue, three counts of furnishing false information, and one count of money laundering.
John Quansah, head pastor of Heaven Light Ministry International, received a 15-month suspended sentence for providing false information.
“These men presented themselves as upstanding, honest, and charitable men of God. In reality, they were just criminals cynically abusing their positions to steal,” said Eleanor Handslip, assistant director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service.