Former Pastor Jailed For Stealing €125,000 From His Own Church in Kildare

International News On Ebenezer Oduntan – Former Pastor Jailed For Stealing €125,000 From His Own Church in Kildare.

A former pastor who used theft and deception to steal more than €125,000 from his own Kildare church has been sentenced to six and a half years in jail.

Ebenezer Oduntan, a former pastor of the City of David Church in Naas, County Kildare, was convicted of 87 theft and fraud counts after a three-week trial at Naas Circuit Criminal Court last month.

Since 2015, the church has been located at Naas Enterprise Park, Naas, County Kildare. It is a branch of the Nigerian-based Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Personal Life About Ebenezer Oduntan

Oduntan (58), a married father of four from Curragh Grange in Newbridge, County Kildare, had pleaded innocent to 54 separate charges before admitting guilt to 19 counts of theft, five counts of deception, and nine counts of providing false information to the Companies Registration Office midway through his trial.

Following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority, the naturalised Irish citizen, who works as a cab driver, was charged with 73 different instances of theft, five acts of deceit, and nine breaches of company law.

Between 2012 and 2020, as pastor of the City of David Church, he had complete access and control over its accounts.

Judges Ruling

Judge Martina Baxter sentenced Oduntan on Friday, saying the accused engaged in a “very prolonged, premeditated, and well-planned scheme.”

“He knew exactly what he was doing,” she said.

The judge stated unequivocally that Oduntan is solely responsible for the church’s finances and bank accounts, since he is held in such high regard by the members.

She lamented the lack of financial controls over the church’s finances, which she attributed to Oduntan’s high regard.

However, the judge accepted that he had assisted with the inquiry by acknowledging that he acted alone and that no one else was engaged in committing the crimes.

During his trial, evidence was shown that Oduntan misappropriated church finances, including cheques worth up to €20,000 paid out to him personally.

Although he was given a €1,000 monthly allowance from the church, he allegedly used church monies intended to assist parishioners for his wife’s company and to purchase personal health insurance. “He was essentially using the church’s funds as his own personal account,” remarked the judge.

Further Charges Labelled Against Ebenezer Oduntan

The CEA further stated that the accused committed “an elaborate fraud” by misrepresenting the amount of donations to his church, causing Revenue to refund more money than it should under the Charitable Donation Scheme.

The trial heard that there was “a total absence of standard financial controls and corporate governance procedures” within the church when Oduntan was in charge.

The jury heard evidence that the defendant transferred five times his claimed income through his bank accounts between 2012 and 2018.

Prosecutors informed the court that over €75,000 was stolen from the church using blank checks, and around €52,000 was stolen through a credit union account.

Oduntan, who has not been a member of the church since 2020, has not had any of the stolen money retrieved.

During the trial, it was stated that Oduntan admitted partial responsibility for €15,000-€25,000 in stolen monies, which he had spent on himself and his family.

Why He Wanted To Confess

The court heard that Oduntan informed the authorities in September 2020 that he wanted to confess to fraud in respect of the church’s finances because he had a crisis of conscience after tapping into its cash.

However, Judge Baxter stated that the prosecution did not accept such an excuse since the previous month he was obliged to disclose to other church members that there were no cash left when they attempted to give financial support for a member who had lost his job and fallen on hard times.

At an earlier court appearance this month, Oduntan’s attorney, Damien Colgan SC, stated that his client had expressed some regret but refused to accept the jury’s judgment.

Mr Colgan pleaded for compassion, claiming Oduntan had no past convictions, was ostracised by his community, and had no friends.

Judge Baxter sentenced the accused, saying he violated trust and fiduciary obligations via sophisticated deception and deceit, resulting in “serious wrongdoing.”

The judge sentenced Oduntan to seven years in jail on the deceit counts, six and a half years for the stealing convictions, and three and a half years for supplying false information to the CRO, with all terms running consecutively.

She also deferred the remaining six months of the sentences, retroactively applying Oduntan’s term in jail to March 13th, 2024.

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