Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy Embroils In A N2.1bn Scam In U.K

Chris Oyakhilome

The United Kingdom's Charity Commission has uncovered a suspicious £4.28 million (N2.14 billion) fraud concerning the UK branch of the popular Christ Embassy led by televangelist and charismatic preacher, Chris Oyakhilome.

Reports have it that auditors appointed by the UK’s Charity Commission to review the accounts of the UK branch of the church raised eyebrows over suspicious payments worth N2.14 billion (£4.28 million) made to companies and organisation closely related to the church in 2013.

UK authorities have previously raised concerns over controversial expenditures made by the church.

On 11 August 2014, the Charity Commission, which is the regulator of charities in England and Wales, side-lined the church’s board of trustees and appointed an interim manager, Rod Weston of the international audit and accounting firm, Mazars, to take over the management of the church.

The decision to suspend the church’s board of trustees follows the discovery of controversial payments worth N1.8 billion (£3.6 million) to overseas entities between 2008 and 2012.

At the time, the Charity Commission, issued a statement that it had 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”.

The commission said it was not convinced that the church had been prudent in managing its finances.

Subsequently, the UK tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs, withheld N711.4 million (£2.7 million) due to the church in donation between 2008 and 2012 until the conclusion is resolved.

But details of the 2013 financial statement, which was approved on 22 January, 2016 and released recently, show that the church aggravated payments similar to those the Charity Commission had flagged as suspicious.

According to Jacob Cavenagh and Skeet, the independent auditors, the church made a total income of £14.1 million in 2013 but had an expenditure of £15.9 million. Part of the expenditure was made to companies and organisations with close relation to the church.

The auditors particularly flagged the N1.33 billion (£2,679,980) paid to Loveworld Limited for transmission of the church’s broadcast. 

Interestingly, a trustee of the church, Obioma Chiemeka, is the director and sole shareholder of Loveworld Limited. Mr Chiemeka, a pastor, however resigned as a trustee on 15 October, 2015.

Also, purchases worth N22.46 million (£44,925) were made from Ventaja Ltd for decorating and the construction of a stage. A pastor of the church, Tony Obi, is the sole shareholder of the Ventaja and his wife Georgine Obi, an employee of Christ Embassy, is a director of the company. 

Mr Obi, however, resigned as a trustee of the church on 6 November 2015.

The auditors were also not convinced about the grant of N500.48 million (£1,000,973) given to Healing School, Canada, a trustee of the UK branch of the Church. Ray Okocha, a reverend, is also a trustee of Healing School Canada.

Healing School is the branch of the church in charge of faith healings and miracles sessions. It regularly hosts events in Johannesburg South Africa, and Toronto, Canada.

The auditors said they could not obtain “complete and accurate” information on the transactions because the church could not provide explanations and information they requested during the audit.

“The audit evidence available to us are limited because we were unable to obtain sufficient evidence to enable us to conclude whether material amount of expenditure made by the charity were charitable expenditure,” the auditors stated.

“The audit evidence available to us are also limited because we were unable to obtain complete and accurate information on related parties. As a result of this we were unable to determine whether further disclosure of related parties and related party transaction should be made in financial statement.

“The audit evidence were also limited because a number of explanations and information requested during our audit could not be provided,” it said.

When reached on their UK telephone number for comment, an employee of the Church, who refused to say her name, said she could not speak or provide clarifications about the financial statement.

“I don’t have the information you’re looking for,” she said.

When asked for a phone number or email address of someone with the authority to speak for the church, she asked this reporter to call in June for the contact or to go to the nearest branch of the church in Nigeria for comments.

The fraud saga came on the heels of Anita, the former wife of the founder of the mega-church, Chris Oyakhilome, dispelled rumours of a reconciliation with the televangelist.

Pastor Chris with former wife, Anita 

This will not be the first time a Nigerian church would be under the microscope of the UK powerful Charity Commission.

In 2002, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo's church came under scrutiny from the charity watchdog after a visit to its offices triggered concerns about its management and the benefits received by its trustees, including Ashimolowo and his wife Yemisi.

Ashimolowo and his wife, Yemisi

The Charity Commission found evidence of "serious" financial misconduct at the Kingsway International Christian Centre, in Hackney, east London.

A report concluded that leaders of the church, who encourage worshippers to donate a tenth of their salaries, had allegedly mismanaged its £8.5 million income.

The church was taken over by the receivers in 2002, and new trustees and managers appointed. The receivers later withdrew in April of that year when the commission was satisfied the church was being run in line with its guidelines. Ashimolowo was ordered to repay £200,000 into the charity.

Bishop Oyedepo

In 2013, the British operation of Bishop David Oyedepo's Winners Chapel, was looked at by the Charity Commission. The regulator examined an allegation that charitable funds have been misapplied and concerns about the reputational management of the charity and conflicts of interest.

Oyedepo's UK branch was said to have received more than £16 million in tithes between 2008 and 2011. Over £1 million of that money was said to have been returned to his Nigerian operation. However, in 2015, the church and its founder, Oyedepo was cleared of any wrongdoing.