News Reports: India’s Tax Authorities Take Control of Gospel for Asia’s Cheruvally Estate in Alleged Money Laundering Case

According to news reports out of India this morning, government Income Tax Department has confiscated the Cheruvally Estate and another 2,000 acres of land  belonging to Believers’ Church in the state of Kerala. This action, according to reports, is tied to the governments ongoing investigation of a money laudering scheme involving allegedly $821-million in foreign donations. Believers’ Church is run by K.P. Yohannan who is the founder and CEO of Gospel for Asia, headquartered in Wills Point, TX.

In November 2020, the Income Tax Department raided Believers’ Church and Yohannan’s homes and due to suspicion of a money laundering operation. According to this recent report, Yohannan was supposed to return to India for questioning in December 2020 but failed to do so. According to this report, he is at the Wills Point headquarters.

The allegations are similar to those at issue in the RICO lawsuit settled in 2019 with GFA. In that case Garland and Phyliss Murphy accused the mission giant of failing to spend donations as promised and diverting money to other projects in India. The $37-million settlement was followed by a similar suit in Canada which is ongoing.

See also this report for a pretty good summary of Gospel for Asia and K.P. Yohannan’s legal troubles.

 

12 thoughts on “News Reports: India’s Tax Authorities Take Control of Gospel for Asia’s Cheruvally Estate in Alleged Money Laundering Case”

  1. Wow, and to think years and years ago I thought this was one of the best ministries to donate to for spreading the gospel.

    1. You are not alone on that one. We Christians are very easily deceived. Until we recognize that and do something about it we will keep shoveling barrels full of dollars to simple conmen without conscience.

    2. You are not alone on that one. We Christians are very easily deceived. Until we recognize that and do something about it we will keep shoveling barrels full of dollars to simple conmen without conscience.

    3. You are not alone on that one. We Christians are very easily deceived. Until we recognize that and do something about it we will keep shoveling barrels full of dollars to simple conmen without conscience.

      1. Sadly many forget the old Reagan admonition, “Trust, but verify.”

        But then for the past number of years it has been become much more than “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind” to quote Mark Noll’s book title, but rather “The Scandal of No Evangelical Mind.” The election of Trump, Q-anon, anti-vaxxers, election fraud and all the other conspiracy nuttiness only proves it.

        This is one reason why the fastest growing groups in religion surveys are the “Nones” and “Dones”.

  2. Six years after I first contacted Warren and the axes are falling. The wheels of justice do turn slowly but thank God they do turn. God is not mocked, what we sow is what we reap. Those who sow to the wind will reap the whirlwind.

    1. What I find interesting about this is that KP is still hiding out in the U.S. and obviously afraid of what will happen to him if he returns. This is not minor in that even his ego wanting to be in India so that he can be worshipped by his fans in person is not sufficient motivation to return. This tells me about as much as the news itself. What is you opinion of this as someone who has lived in India for a long time?

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