Kildare pastor convicted on 87 charges, including theft of €125,000

Ebenezer Oduntan, former pastor of Redeemed Christian Church, passed five times more than declared income through accounts.


A former pastor of a Christian church based in Kildare has been convicted of a range of theft charges, involving more than €125,000, as well as multiple breaches of company law and deception.

As well as stealing money, Ebenezer Oduntan, former pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) City of David, ran an elaborate fraud, generating payments from the Revenue Commissioners.

Mr Oduntan, Curragh Grange, Newbridge, Co Kildare, has now been convicted of all 87 charges he faced.

When his bank accounts were analysed as part of a criminal investigation into his finances, he was found to have passed five times more than his declared income through his accounts for the years 2012-2018.

His trial concluded with guilty verdicts on Wednesday at Naas Circuit Court after a three-week hearing. He was convicted of nine company law offences, 73 counts of theft and five counts of deception.

Mr Oduntan’s trial was told he stole church funds, including cheques made payable to cash and cheques of up to €20,000 made payable to him personally. The Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) also said Mr Oduntan ran “an elaborate fraud” involving the inflation of donations made to the church, which resulted in the Revenue Commissioners reimbursing more than it should have under the Charitable Donation Scheme.

He was investigated by the CEA, the Republic’s company law enforcement agency, and put on trial. During that three-week trial, evidence was heard from witnesses from the Charities Regulator, Companies Registration Office, Revenue Commissioners, AIB, Bank of Ireland, Life Credit Union, as well as from the current pastor and a number of members of the RCCG.

The trial also heard from a senior forensic accountant and member of the Garda seconded to the CEA for the purposes of carrying out criminal investigations. The CEA forensic accountant described a “total absence of standard financial controls and corporate governance procedures” within the church, which is a limited company, under Mr Oduntan.

The church he once led claims to operate on “a mandate to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people and nations, and its members to live a lifestyle of holiness”. It also defines itself as “a bible believing church under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit”.

The church is based at Naas Enterprise Park, Naas, Co Kildare, and at one point had a membership of more than 100 families, many of whom were the source of the donations from which Mr Oduntan benefited.

Midway through his trial, Mr Oduntan pleaded guilty to nine charges of furnishing false information to the Companies Registration Office, five counts of deception and 19 counts of theft. The jury in the case, before Judge Martina Baxter, on Wednesday returned guilty verdicts on all 54 outstanding charges.

After the verdicts were returned, Mr Oduntan was remanded in custody by Judge Baxter and was due to appear before the court again on April 10th

1Sharon:
All you lots that want to japa, learn. In the West you would be held accountable. Religious sentiments and emotional blackmail doesn't work on westerners, you would still be queried and face the law.

"Daddy in the Lord" " "Touch not my anoited" ends in Nigeria.

PlasmaTV:
■ Just watch as people jump on this and call all pastors false, however same people will turn a blind eye when pastors do CSR, give to the needy and do the work of the government.

PlasmaTV:
Just watch as people jump on this and call all pastors false, however same people will turn a blind eye when pastors do CSR, give to the needy and do the work of the government.

Funny humans.

The article below was written in 2017. Read it,digest it and use your head before you start throwing stones at the church. Selah.

1. For many years, Deeper Life Bible Church (DLBC) has been feeding the poor for free especially during her Retreats - Bad for news.

2. Deeper Life builds a #3 Billion Naira Church facility to cater for her teeming multitudes-(The Church comes under attack for not giving the money to the poor by people who probably have never cared for others) Good for news!

3. Redeemed Christian Church of God develops a forest into a sprawling city (Redemption Camp) at no cost to the government helping to decongest Lagos-(No one is interested) - Bad for news

4. Christ Embassy inspires and sponsors hundreds of youths talented in the music ministry-Bad for news.

5. Churches establish universities ensuring that many otherwise jobless academics are gainfully employed - Bad for news.

6. Covenant, JABU, BIU and Landmark Universities are among the 10 cheapest private universities - Bad for news.

7. David Oyedepo Foundation now gives about N500 million annually in her 24 year old scholarship scheme to indigent students-Bad for the news.

8. Covenant University in less than 20 years ranks amongst the top universities in Africa ahead of many much older Nigerian Universities-Bad for news.

9. Pastor Adeboye and wife build rehabilitation centre in Epe for youths overtaken by drug addiction - Bad for news.
10. Adeboye and Oyedepo clock 50 and 35 years in marriage respectively-Bad for the news.

11. Pastor Chris gets divorced - news goes viral.

12. Sinach, Eben, Frank Edwards, Buchi, Samsung, Joe Praize all inspired by Pastor Chris-Bad for the news.

13. Daystar equips 20,000 kids as they return to school-Bad for the news.

14. Bishop Oyedepo subsidises transport fare in hometown to #20-#50 per trip-Bad for the news.

15. RCCG builds 80km road connecting Ikorodu with Redemption Camp/Lagos-Ibadan Expressway-Bad for the news.

16. Oyedepo builds #100 million Townhall in Omu Aran-Bad for the news.

17. Ayo Oritsejafor gives cars, money, Keke, sewing machines, grinding machines to the poor-Bad for the news.

18. Oritsejafor receives jet gift-(He must sell and give the poor)-News goes viral.

19. Winner's Chapel in FACT does NOT own 4 jets-(This is not good for them)-Bad for the news.

20. Pastor Adeboye flies to Zambia, Botswana, CAR, Rwanda in private jet-(He should have flown Nigeria Airways (sic)-News goes viral.

21. Winners Chapel 's gift consignment largest ever received by Rwandan Government - Bad for news.

22. Winners Chapel Accesses Koma Hills with provisions - plants school, church- Bad for news.

23. Olukoya, MFM provides cars and cash for 1st class graduates in Unilag yearly - Bad for the news.

24. Prisoners testify of how Church missionaries led them to Christ, became better citizens-Bad for news.

25. Winners Chapel gives provisions, food, cash to Osun workers after being owed 8 months salary by State Government - Bad for news.

26. Christ Embassy feeds thousands of children daily in her Inner City Mission Scheme (who cares)-Bad for news.

27. Red Cross commends Oyedepo for largest consignment of welfare aid asides government since Nigerian Civil war (who cares)-Bad for news.

28. Landmark University operates largest scholarship scheme among Nigerian private universities--Bad for news.
29. Bishop Oyedepo sits in Church owned jet (Perhaps he should be standing)-News goes viral.

30. MFM invests heavily in football-(who cares)-Bad for news.
31. Living Faith Church under investigation in UK - News goes viral.

32. Living Faith Church commended for financial integrity by UK authorities after probe, named as a good example for other NGOs-Bad for news.

33. Nigerian Churches attract largest number of tourists to Nigeria - Bad for news.

34. Nigerian Churches infrastructural development among highest in Nigeria-(who cares ) -Bad for the news.

35. Nigerian Churches now the foremost player in education at all levels in Nigeria-Bad for news.

36. Covenant University generates her own electricity - Bad for news.

37. Faith Oyedepo 'paralysed'-News goes viral.

38. Faith Oyedepo totally healed -Bad for news.

39. Christ Embassy provides succour for tens if thousands in Haiti - Bad for news.

40. Sierra Leonean President thanks Winners Chapel for relief package to citizens - (who cares) - bad for news.

41. Oyedepo jets out to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana (he should have driven a car or ridden a donkey like Jesus)-News goes viral.

42. Deeper Life spends #1.2 Billion on overhead bridge to stem traffic (who cares)-Bad for news.