Winners’ Chapel Under Probe In UK Over Alleged Misappropriation Of Charity Funds

Winners' Chapel
Under Probe In UK
Over Alleged
Misappropriation Of
Charity Funds
United Kingdom
authorities yesterday
opened a case against
Bishop David
Oyedepo's Winners'
Chapel London over
issues concerning
"misapplication and
diversion of charity
funds".
According to UK
officials, they are
concerned about the
nature of the transfers
involving Winners
Chapel London with
registration number
1134421 and it's
World Mission Agency.
The case which is
being handled by UK
Charity Regulatory
Commission is seen by
authorities as an abuse
of the law governing
religious activities in
the country.
In a statement, the
commission stated
that it has a regulatory
case with the World
Mission Agency
(1085902)/Winners
Chapel London
(1134421), and has
considered documents
and information
shared by the trustees
"and our case is
continuing."
"The concerns that we
are looking at are
issues of conflict of
interest, an allegation
that charitable funds
have been misapplied
and concerns about
the reputational
management of the
charity. We cannot
share further
information while our
case is underway and
cannot put a timescale
on our case at this
stage," the commission
further explained.
A press officer in the
commission, Tallulah
Perez-Sphar said, "the
commission became
alarmed when it
discovered that there
were instances where
money transfers
involving the church
appear shady.She
observed that by the
virtue of the
commission's powers
to keep an eye on all
charitable ventures, it
had to open a case
against the church
"after several complain
and allegations trailing
its activities."
According to Perez-
Sphar, "the case relates
very much to how
those charities are
being managed and it
involves transfer of
funds," she added.
It is believed that
Oyedepo's Winners
Chapel in UK raised
about £16 million
between 2008 and
2012, part of which
was said to have been
transferred to the
Nigerian church's
headquarters.
According to sources,
the church's financial
activities shows that
the World Mission
Agency has
approximately £8.6
million in assets and
capital. Most of the
funds from the UK
church have been
channeled to Nigeria.
Reports also have it
that a large chunk of
the funds were
transferred in
questionable
circumstances to the
Nigerian church
authorities between
2009 and 2012.
In 2011, about
£663,532 meant "for
onward transmission
to the world
headquarters in
Nigeria" was
transferred. The sum of
£324,683 and
£149,000 were
transferred between
2010 and 2009, while
another £192,000 was
also traced to the
Nigeria headquarters
within the same
period.
The said sums were
said to have been
meant "for charitable
activities in Africa,
welfare assistance for
undisclosed purpose,
including some
payment made as
special privileges to
certain members of the
church."
Oyedepo who is
estimated by Forbes
Magazine to be worth
£90 million, about $
140 million owns one
of the biggest churches
in Africa, located in the
outskirts of Lagos.
His church in Cameroon
was one of the over
100 Pentecostal
churches shut by
Presdient Paul Biya
over "criminal
activities".
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN