The United Kingdom (UK) government has shut down a church called Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, aka SPAC Nation, belonging to a Nigerian-born UK pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, over a £1.9 million fraud allegations.
Members of Pastor Adegboyega’s evangelical congregation were wound up in the public interest in the High Court on Tuesday, June 9, 2022, the United Kingdom government said on Friday, June 17.
The Official Receiver has been appointed as the company’s liquidator, according to a statement on the country’s website.
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“SPAC Nation was founded in 2012 as a charity dedicated to the advancement of Christianity. Much of its philanthropic work was concentrated on London, with a focus on disadvantaged individuals, youth, and criminals,” the court stated.
“The church group first received great feedback and media attention. However, by late 2019, SPAC Nation had come under fire from the media when former church members claimed they had been financially exploited by senior church officials.
“Pastor Dapo Adegboyega was interrogated by investigators and claimed that the church group had over 2,000 members and 200 ordained ministers and pastors, but he could not present any supporting evidence.
“SPAC Nation failed to comply with or only partially complied with statutory requirements, including supplying data to back claimed donations and accounting records to support £1.87 million in expenditure, according to further investigations.
“The company’s financial statements for the two years ending December 31, 2019 show a rent expense of £610,000. However, because the company did not have its own base, it had to book venues across London to hold services, which was costly.
“SPAC Nation was closed down by the court after it was determined that the firm lacked transparency, filed questionable or erroneous accounts, and was insolvent at the time of the hearing.
“The company also gave conflicting information to the Insolvency Service and the Charity Commission, as well as failing to deliver acceptable accounting documents,” according to the statement.
Further details according to Edna Okhiria, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, revealed that “while SPAC Nation claimed it had noble intentions to support vulnerable and young people, our enquiries uncovered a different side of the charity.
“There were clear concerns around how the church group managed its affairs and SPAC Nation failed to properly account for income received from donations and other expenditure.
“The court recognised the severity of SPAC Nation’s actions and this sends a strong message that proper records and accounts must be maintained, even if you’re a charity.”
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