SINGAPORE - Former City Harvest treasurer Chew Eng Han called Kong Hee, the church founder, a liar in the first five minutes of trial today
Chew said Kong had lied in statements to the Commercial Affairs Department about Chew's involvement in transactions and Kong's own knowledge of these.
Chew also claimed that the church leadership lied about the Asia achievements of Kong's wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun.
He said one of Ms Ho's achievements - being part of a stamp series in China - was "a scam".
Kong, Chew and four others face various charges for their part in allegedly misusing around $50 million of church funds to boost Ms Ho's pop music career as part of the church's Crossover Project, and then to cover it all up.
The church's Crossover Project was meant to use Ms Ho's pop music to evangelise.
Chew said: "Since 2013, I made a series of discoveries... the Crossover Project was not what it was supposed to be.
"We - me and many church members - took what the leadership told us at face value."