The first discovery conference for the City Harvest Church case is scheduled for Jan 31. This was decided during a pre-trial conference for the case on Thursday morning at the Subordinate Courts. None of the defendants were present.

It is understood that this will mean that the case will go to trial around the end of April.

The mega church's senior pastor Kong Hee and five other key ministry leaders were arrested and charged in June last year with conspiring to cheat the church of millions of dollars.

Besides Kong, the others charged in the case are his deputy Tan Ye Peng, 39; church finance manager Sharon Tan, 36; church investment manager Chew Eng Han, 52; former church finance manager Serina Wee, 35; and church management board member John Lam Leng Hung, 44.