Nigerian Pastor Ebenezer Oduntan Convicted of Embezzling Church Funds in the UK

 A former pastor of a Redeemed Christian Church based un Kildare, Ebenezer Oduntan, has been found guilty of a wide range of charges, including theft, company law breaches, and deception, totaling over €125,000. 

In addition to stealing money, Oduntan, the former pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) City of David, orchestrated an intricate fraud, generating payments from the Revenue Commissioners.

 Following a thorough analysis of his bank accounts as part of a criminal investigation into his finances, it was discovered that he had channeled five times more than his declared income through his accounts between 2012 and 2018. 

After a three-week trial, Oduntan was convicted of all 87 charges against him, including nine company law offenses, 73 counts of theft, and five counts of deception.

 The trial revealed that Oduntan had stolen church funds, including checks made payable to cash and checks of up to €20,000 made payable to him personally.

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 According to the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA), Oduntan ran "an elaborate fraud" involving the inflation of donations made to the church, resulting in the Revenue Commissioners reimbursing more than they should have under the Charitable Donation Scheme. 

The CEA, the Republic's company law enforcement agency, investigated Oduntan and brought him to trial.

 During the trial, evidence was presented from various witnesses, including representatives from the Charities Regulator, Companies Registration Office, Revenue Commissioners, AIB, Bank of Ireland, Life Credit Union, the current pastor, and several members of the RCCG.

 A senior forensic accountant and member of the Garda seconded to the CEA also testified about the absence of standard financial controls and corporate governance procedures within the church, which is a limited company, under Oduntan's leadership. 

The church, which 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," defines itself as "a bible believing church under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit."

 The church, based at Naas Enterprise Park, Naas, Co Kildare, had over 100 families as members at one point, many of whom were the source of the donations that Oduntan benefited from. 

Midway through the trial, 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, presided over by Judge Martina Baxter, returned guilty verdicts on all 54 outstanding charges, and Oduntan was remanded in custody, scheduled to appear in court again on April 10th.