€125,000 Scandal: Former RCCG Pastor, Ebenezer Oduntan convicted of 87 charges in Naas, Ireland

A former pastor from Kildare, found guilty of multiple counts of theft and fraud totalling over €125,000 from his church, has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Ebenezer Oduntan, once a pastor at the City of David Church in Naas, Co Kildare, faced 87 charges of theft and fraud following a three-week trial at Naas Circuit Criminal Court. The church, a branch of the Nigerian-based Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has been located in Naas Enterprise Park since 2015.

Oduntan, aged 58 and a resident of Curragh Grange, Newbridge, Co Kildare, denied 54 charges but admitted guilt to 19 counts of theft, five counts of deception, and nine charges of providing false information to the Companies Registration Office during the trial.

Serving as the pastor, Oduntan had exclusive access to and control over the church’s accounts from 2012 to 2020.

In sentencing, Judge Martina Baxter described Oduntan’s actions as a “very prolonged, premeditated and well-planned scheme,” highlighting his sole responsibility for the church’s finances due to the high esteem in which he was held by the congregation.

The court heard how Oduntan misused church funds for personal gain, including writing cheques of up to €20,000 to himself and diverting money intended for parishioners to his wife’s business and personal health insurance.

Additionally, he manipulated donation figures to receive more money than was entitled from Revenue under the Charitable Donation Scheme.

Oduntan’s lack of financial controls within the church facilitated his embezzlement, with prosecution lawyers revealing that he passed five times more than his declared income through his bank accounts between 2012 and 2018.

Despite being sentenced to prison, none of the stolen funds has been recovered from Oduntan, who severed ties with the church in 2020.

During the trial, Oduntan confessed to spending €15,000-€25,000 of the stolen funds on himself and his family. However, the court noted discrepancies in his remorse, especially considering his delayed admission to the fraud after exhausting the church’s funds.

In pleading for leniency, Oduntan’s counsel highlighted his lack of prior convictions and his subsequent social isolation.

Nevertheless, Judge Baxter emphasized the severity of Oduntan’s breach of trust and fiduciary duties, handing down concurrent sentences of seven years for deception, six-and-a-half years for theft, and three-and-a-half years for providing false information to the CRO. Six months of each sentence were suspended, with credit for time served since March 13th, 2024.

Credit: BreakingNews.ie