Thiruvananthapuram:
One of South India’s foremost evangelists, Bishop K P Yohannan,
is in trouble with the law. This after a preliminary inquiry by the
intelligence department of Kerala police cast doubts on how a Trust
closely held by him had spent Rs 900 crore received from abroad for
charity.
The Trust,
according to reports, received Rs 1,044 crores since 1995 from the Texas-based
Gospel for Asia apparently for charitable purposes but had spent only
Rs 144 crore towards this purpose. No satisfactory explanation was forthcoming
on how the rest of the amount was spent, they said.
The Trust, according to reports,received
Rs 1,044 crores since 1995 from the Texas-based Gospel for Asia for
charitable purposes but had spent only Rs 144 crore. No satisfactory
explanation was forthcoming on how the rest of the amount was spent
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The matter
is now pending with the state home department, which is said to be considering
a detailed probe into the matter.Any inquiry would necessitate central
assistance as it involves money from abroad, which falls under the purview
of the Reserve Bank of India.
Yohannan
is the founder president of the Gospel for Asia and the Believer’s
Church, both of which enjoy huge asset bases.
What has
raised eyebrows is that most of the Trusts floated by Yohannan has on
its board his family members. The Trust, sources claimed, had recently
purchased 40 acres of paddy field in Pathanamthitta district and filled
it up to evade the Land Reforms Act. Also under the lens is a land transaction
worth Rs 130 crore, said to have been undertaken by the Trust some months
ago.
The church,
however, denied the charges and claimed that its working is transparent.
The police had begun monitoring Yohannan as part of a state-wide campaign
against fake godmen in the wake of the Santosh Madhavan episode.
A search
by the labour department reportedly found labour law violations in his
establishments. A high-level probe is also on after it came to light
that a separate wireless network was being used in his headquarters
for communication without due security clearance.
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