Ministry News
Scandal for Sunday
- Details
- Tuesday, 23 December 2008 09:34
Ukraine’s most prominent charismatic pastor, Sunday Adelaja, is at the center of controversy over his alleged involvement in a business venture that some claim bilked investors out of $100 million.
Adelaja, pastor of Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations in Kiev, was accused in November of being involved in the dealings of King’s Capital, a financial group led by a member of his congregation. The company drew many of its investors from the church, also known as God’s Embassy, promising as much as 60 percent returns on investments.
But last month, several church members went to authorities saying they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt. Police later arrested one of King’s Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.
Speculation about Adelaja’s involvement with King’s Capital grew after reports surfaced that he was part of a bank in Nigeria known as GS Microfinance Bank Limited. Some speculated that Adelaja, a native of Nigeria, invested funds from King’s Capital in the African bank and planned to leave the country.
Adelaja, however, said those accusations are unfounded. He said he has never been involved with King’s Capital but denied that it is a Ponzi scheme, which uses later investments to pay dividends to earlier investors.
Adelaja said King’s Capital is a legitimate business that failed under the pressure of the global financial crisis. He said because the company poured most of the investment capital into real estate, which has decreased in value, it has been unable to pay investors.“When the [economic] crisis came, all the real estate is no more selling,” Adelaja told Charisma. “The land is enough to pay back the money owed. … The problem is … everything is stopped in the country—nothing is selling now in Ukraine.”
Adelaja said Interior Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko accused the church of involvement because he wants to undermine the evangelical movement in Ukraine. With several thousand members across the nation, God’s Embassy is one of the most influential congregations in Ukraine.
“[Lutsenko] is in a very bad situation,” Adelaja said. “He’s got to prove now that [King’s Capital] is a pyramid scheme, but he cannot.”
Adelaja said he never encouraged his church members to invest in the company and cautioned them to invest in businesses that offer insurance. “Of course … if you invest with insurance you get less percentage,” he said. “What happened was many people said they didn’t need insurance because the [King’s Capital leaders] were Christians.”
He acknowledged being affiliated with GS Microfinance, but said he invested his name and influence in the bank, not millions of dollars. He said GS Microfinance was formed to give small loans to poor Nigerians as a way of lifting them out of poverty. “It’s not about what you can get, but the vision of the program [is] to elevate and get as many people out of poverty as possible,” Adelaja said. “That is one of my lifetime passions … because I grew up in poverty.”
Although Adelaja has repeatedly denied any involvement in King’s Capital, which has not officially been deemed a fraudulent business, Pentecostal and charismatic leaders across Ukraine are calling on him to repent, saying they heard him encourage church members to invest in the company on several occasions.
“He was not a president of this company, but he was the No. 1 spiritual leader, and he told them what they have to do,” said Bishop M. S.Panochko, leader of the All-Ukrainian Union of Pentecostal Churches of Evangelical Faith, which is comprised of 1,500 churches across the nation. “He can do everything to tell them [he is] not involved, but all [the] leaders have a lot of facts, and we have a lot of video of when he was pushing people, and he encouraged people to invest in this business.
”Panochko was one of 10 leaders who met with Adelaja on Tuesday to confront him about his alleged support of King’s Capital and the negative impact some of his actions have had on the evangelical church in Ukraine.
The Pentecostal bishops, who together represent more than 2,500 congregations, listed seven items of concern and said Adelaja has a pattern of making exaggerated statements. They pointed particularly to his alleged claim that he led the 2004 Orange Revolution—when Ukrainian voters protested a presidential election many considered fraudulent—and his reports that God’s Embassy has 100,000 members across the nation. The bishops say those and other statements are untrue.
After the meeting, Adelaja issued a statement saying he did not organize the Orange Revolution, though his congregation participated in the demonstrations. He also asked forgiveness for the negative impact the King’s Capital scandal has had on Ukrainian churches, but he added that he did not personally have any involvement in the company.
Despite the statement, Panochko said the bishops would continue waiting for Adelaja to apologize for allegedly endorsing King’s Capital. If he does not repent, Panochko said the bishops would issue a statement to Christians in Ukraine and abroad, and to the Ukrainian government, denouncing Adelaja and claiming no affiliation with him.
Moscow-based pastor Rick Renner, founder of the Good News Association of Churches and Ministries for Russia, Latvia and Ukraine, said Adelaja’s claims are hurting Christians in the former Soviet Union. He said reports about God’s Embassy’s involvement in the Orange Revolution have led some governments to crack down on churches out of fear that Christians are political revolutionaries.
“Pastors and Christian leaders are now trying to maneuver through new restrictive laws that have been passed because of Sunday's claim that he and his church organized the Orange Revolution,” Renner said. “He owes the body of Christ an apology, first for lying about the fact that he organized it and carried it out, and second, for creating this very difficult environment for which others are now paying a very high price.”
Renner and other Pentecostal leaders say they have long been concerned about Adelaja’s claims that God’s Embassy has 100,000 members across Ukraine when they believe the church has closer to 10,000 members nationwide. But Renner said the King’s Capital controversy provoked him to speak out.
“Thousands of people have been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and many lives have been changed [through God’s Embassy],” Renner said. “There was never a need for him to exaggerate on such a massive scale as he has been doing in recent years. … I have never wanted to call Sunday a liar, so most often I tried to ignore the subject of Sunday’s falsehoods when I heard them. Now in light of the lies being told by Sunday, denying that he ever recommended that his people invest in this company, I was taken to a new place of prayer and concern. It was in the midst of this that the Lord impressed me to speak out.”
During a recent sermon, Renner told his congregation that the members of God’s Embassy should leave the church if Adelaja doesn’t repent.
“They are not obligated by God to sit up under deception,” Renner said. “ … It’s not the position of a pastor to say to his people, ‘Sell everything you have and put all your money in this particular company,’ especially if that pastor has an interest in that company. That is a very impure recommendation.”
The challenge provoked a firestorm of response, pitting Christians on either side of the debate. Dmitry Kirichenko, pastor of World Harvest Church in Kiev and director of Brightstar Publishing House, issued an open letter expressing his support of Adelaja.
Kirichenko said there are no facts proving Adelaja’s involvement in the establishment and operation of King’s Capital. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs … currently is investigating the case, but even this administration has so far not presented any formal charges against Pastor Sunday,” he wrote.
However, Sergei Shidlovsky leader of the Seeking God movement and a former member of God’s Embassy, said he attended many meetings during which Adelaja called on people to invest in King’s Capital and “laughed over those who have not yet done that.”
“I personally sat in the room when he explained to everyone how important it is to take the credit out of the house or apartment and invest precisely in this company,” said Shidlovsky, who invested 1,000 Euros himself and encouraged his mother to sell her apartment in Belarus and invest the profit. “I became a contributor of King’s Capital only by trust in Sunday Adelaja and his calls to invest in this company.”
Adelaja said Shidlovsky’s claims are “absolutely not true.” He said he invited a church member to discuss investing as part of ongoing teaching on financial stewardship. He said the financial talk was not about King’s Capital but may have been misinterpreted.
Alex Mykhaylyk, dean of History Makers Bible School, a Philadelphia-based ministry affiliated with God’s Embassy, said those attacking Adelaja are looking for someone to blame for the collapse of King’s Capital and Ukraine’s economic woes. “Sunday never told people to invest in this,” Mykhaylyk said. “He told them basic principles of business and investment. I know my pastor too well. He will give away everything and not take anything from anybody. The biggest problem is that the church is divided in opinions.” [charismamag.com, 12/19/08]
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Comments
Sergei Shidlovsky is not telling the truth in this article
I've been a member of Embassy of God church for 5 years and attended all services where Pastor Sunday Adelaja has been speaking, and I can say that he has never told anyone to take a credit out of the house or apartment and invest in King's Capital.
I can also add that while Sergei Shidlovsky was a member of Embassy of God church, he rarely attending services, because of traveling in his ministry I think, so he cannot give an accurate view of what has been going on in the church.
Sergei Shidlovsky left Embassy of God church after he had been corrected by Pastor Sunday Adelaja because of errors in the doctrine he was teaching in his ministry that had caused people that had listened to him to have difficulties and problems. Before Pastor Sunday Adelaja made the decision to correct him, many pastors had come to him and told him that he needs to do something about Sergei Shidlovsky and his teaching.
Pastor Sunday Adelaja has earlier helped to promote Sergei Shidlovsky's ministry, and his ministry grew rapidly because of the help he got from Pastor Sunday Adelaja.
LUTSENKO SENT IN HIS RESIGNATION
(the person who was leading the false accusations against Sunday Adelaja)
Yuri Lutsenko has sent in his resignation from the post of the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine and pleads the parliament to consider this matter in his absence.
According to a reporter of the Ukrainian National News Agency this news was announced during a meeting of conciliation commission by the chairman of the Supreme Council of Ukraine Vladimir Litvin, who read the corresponding letter of Yuri Lutsenko addressed to the parliament.
The Minister of Justice does not support Lutsenko’s accusations against Adeladja
The Ukrainian Minister of justice, Mykola Onischyk took part in a press conference on Internet Portal "Obozrevatel" on April 7. The main Ukrainian lawyer expressed his position about the accusations against Pastor Sunday Adelaja and legality of the actions by the country’s Head Police officer.
Among the questions addressed to the Ukrainian Minister of justice was one concerning the accusation brought publicly by the Ukrainian Minister of MIA, Yuriy Lutsenko against the Senior Pastor of the Embassy of God church, Sunday Adelaja.
On the question whether you think pastor Sunday Adelaja is an offender or not, the Ukrainian Minister of justice, Mykola Onischyk answered the following: "For Ukraine as a country to achieve democracy, it is necessary to keep the principle presuming innocence. It means that a person can not be considered guilty or be accused of committing a crime until the verdict of "the accused" is passed. That is the reason why I have to refrain from making comments on this. Also I would like to take notice that any governmental body must adhere to this constitutional imperative. It is possible that the investigation of this criminal case has already possessed certain materials indicative of signs presence of crime, but this information usually is a secret investigation and can not be spread. We have to proceed from that until accusatory sentence is passed and a person considered innocent".
As it is known, there is still no accusatory sentence against Pastor Sunday Adelaja, but Lutsenko’s loud speeches lead people astray. It is not understandable why the Ukrainian Minister of MIA makes public addresses about Sunday Adelaja before the eyes of the whole country, Ukraine and thereby breaks the Ukrainian Law.
To date the principle of presumption of innocence is known to every student, but as we can see, the Head Police officer does not know that. Provoke indignation that the Ukrainian Minister of MIA who has to watch over the Law breaks it himself. Is it really so, that after all, Lutsenko’s speeches are outright racist manifestations and political orders about Pastor of the Embassy of God church, Sunday Adelaja?
Sviatoslav Piskun: Lutsenko has broken the Constitution in case of pastor Sunday Adelaja
April, 29, the press-conference on the topic: "Law is one for everyone!” was held by the General prosecutor, national deputy of Ukraine Sviatoslav Piskun.
The previous General public prosecutor of Ukraine expressed his position as to the absurd accusations addressed to pastor Sunday Adelaja by the main policeman of country.
It is known that the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine – Juriy Lutsenko publicly imputed a crime to the senior pastor of the God’s Embassy Church, which was unproved, baseless and illegal as the Constitution of Ukraine provides presumption of innocence before a court’s sentence.
Sviatoslav Piskun strongly objects the accusation, which was brought against pastor Sunday and declared: "We cannot talk about the issue of the pastor without adducing any proof. Moreover I consider the fact that many politicians getting to the TV point at him saying "He is villain” is wrong. It is a straight violation of the Constitution, in which it is written that until guilt is proved in the court (even not during the investigation, but in the court) no one can be recognized as guilty”.
"After all where was this practice taken from? It seems to me that this practice came from 2004, when everyone came out to Maidan and said: "Prison to bandits!” So who are those bandits? They are whoever we point at…” – Mr. Piskun added.
First of all before you name someone a villain, you should prove their guilt. Having received the position of the Minister of Internal Affairs and after all revolution slogans Juriy Lutsenko opened numerous criminal cases, though many of them were not taken to the court, because they were not confirmed in pre-judicial investigation.
There was no court’s sentence for pastor Sunday, but the populist declarations of Mr. Lutsenko are deceiving Ukraine. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine makes Ukrainian nation lose faith in the power of law and equality of everyone, including officials before the Law.
The General persecutor of Ukraine considers all actions of Lutsenko to be a violation of the Main Law – The Constitution, but the current General persecutor O. Medved’ko does not react to illegal accusations against pastor Sunday accordingly to his responsibilities, and that shows that some internal institutions and certain politicians are joined against the pastor and are not interested in finding the truth in this case.
However it is the Minister of Internal Affairs Juriy Lutsenko who should answer for his consciously planed illegal actions against pastor Sunday Adelaja. Satisfaction has not been abolished in Justice yet.
Political Scientist Olexandr Doniy, from the same party as Luzhenko believes Sunday Adelaja has never been involved with King’s Capital
There are groundless public declarations made by the Minister of Internal Affairs, J. Luzhenko, which have occurred in Mass Media for the last several months. J.Luzhenko dared to slander the Senior Pastor of the Embassy of God church accusing him in criminal involvement and activity of the financial company King’s Capital, accusing him in the fraud specified in paragraph 3, article 37 and paragraph 4, article 190 of the Constitution of Ukraine. Thereby he broke the Law of Ukraine as presumption of innocence is valid in our country until judgment in court, which means that a person is considered not guilty or innocent until the court decision of guilt.
Sunday Adelaja personally objects all charges, declaring that he has nothing to do with the building, activity, and administration of King’s Capital. He considers it as the political strategy of some politicians whose path he has crossed not once.
Recently political scientist Olexandr Doniy, the deputy of the Parliament’s group "Our Ukraine is the National self-defense" in hard talk said: "Logically it is not worthwhile for the pastor of the most influential church (per se timeless project) to risk his authority getting involved in a financial pyramid (its quick and huge profits end up by escape of the founders or general managers)".
Olexandr Doniy, who is from the same party as J.Luzhenko, declared that he did not see any documents proving accusations of Sunday Adelaja, and he also added that personally Pastor Sunday Adelaja with his members of the church have the right to find out in the Ministry of Internal Affairs on what actual grounds afore mentioned accusations are brought. As experience shows (the case of Boris Kolesnikov) in most cases such accusations are not proved. In 2004 the Ministry of Internal Affairs with J.Luzhenko incriminated to Boris Kolesnikov acquisition with shares extortion of the business center "White Swan" (Beluy Lebed). The politician spent several months in pre-trial prison. As a result lawyers strived for a discharge of Boris Kolesnikov closing of the criminal case in the absence of crime in the act.
History of the Ukrainian justice shows that criminal cases widely spread by politicians through Mass Media at the beginning and often during the prejudicial inquiry were closed even without court. So it is possible to forecast that this criminal case incriminated by mister J.Luzhenko against pastor Sunday Adelaja will not be proved legally in court.
Deputy of the Head of Administration of the President of Ukraine Igor Popov is disturbed at the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko’s actions against Sunday Adelaja
What will Lutsenko choose: politics or law?
4th, May a deputy of the Head of Administration of the President of Ukraine, Igor Popov, held a chat-conference on Internet resource “Glavred”.
He answered to numerous issues of the day related to today’s political processes in Ukraine. One of the questions was about the senior pastor of the Christian church “Embassy of God”, Sunday Adelaja, and about public charges of the Minister of Interior Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko against Sunday Adelaja. Igor Popov’s answer was the following:
"I am neither a judge nor a politician. That is why I do not accuse people without having sufficient information and court’s decision. Unfortunately, representatives of some law enforcement bodies use their status for political struggle. Instead of pursuing criminals they speak in mass media.”
Let us mention that accusing an honest and world-respected pastor with fraud, the minister Yuriy Lutsenko broke the main Law of Ukraine, which is the Constitution of Ukraine. Particularly, article 62 of the Constitution prohibiting accusing a man without proving his guilt in court was broken.
"Unfortunately, in most cases such statements are not resulted in any other steps to punish the guilty", - deputy of the Head of Administration of the President of Ukraine, Igor Popov, added.
Indeed, the like official violations have become a practice of some Ukrainian politicians. However, these violations of law enforcement bodies can be equated with a crime, because mentioned agencies are to protect the law and the nation.
These events show that Ukrainian society cannot come back to the past. There is no place in politics for officials who ignore the principles of democracy.
We would like to believe that the President of Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko, as a guarantor of the Constitution will react to the actions of the minister Yuriy Lutsenko against pastor Sunday Adelaja in order to avoid the like violations against citizens of Ukraine and guests of our country.
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