KP Yohannan in trouble?

Edit, February 14, 2014: Thanks to reader Bill Kendrick, no wrongdoing has been found.  See here for details. http://www.believerschurch.com/investigation-report-home-ministry-india-government/

As this is a very old post, I did not know until reading Mr. Kendrick's email. As such, I am deleting my comments and just leaving the original article.

J.


Source

Kerala bishop's trust in legal trouble
10 Jun 2008, 0311 hrs IST,Ananthakrishnan G,TNN

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bishop K P Yohannan, a popular evangelist in Kerala, is in trouble with the law. A preliminary inquiry by the intelligence department of Kerala police casts doubts on how a trust he runs spent a massive Rs 900 crore of donations from abroad.

The trust, according to reports, received Rs 1044 crore since 1995 from Texas-based Gospel for Asia apparently for charitable purposes but had spent only Rs 144 crore towards this purpose. No satisfactory explanation was given on how the rest of the amount was spent, police said.

The matter is now pending with the state home department which is said to be considering a detailed probe. Any inquiry would necessitate central assistance as it involves money from abroad which falls in 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 assets 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 fields in Pathanathitta 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 back. The Church, however, denied the charges and claimed that its working was transparent.