The pastor of the world’s largest Pentecostal church, Rev. David Yong-gi Cho, in South Korea has been found guilty of embezzling $13 billion won (AU$13 million) of church funds.

The Yonhap News Agency reports that Cho was convicted last week for having church officials buy shares from his son at four times their market value.

Cho, 78, founded the Yoido Full Gospel Church in 1958. It’s associated with the Assemblies of God and has more than one million members. Cho also spoke at the River of Life conference in Melbourne last year.

Cho has been given a suspended sentence of three years in prison with a five year probation. He’s also been ordered to pay 5 billion won (AU$5 million) in fines for tax evasion.

His son, Hee-Jun Cho has been sentenced to three years prison, effective immediately. He has previously served jail time for other financial crimes.

The investigation into the Cho family began last year, when members of the church filed a suit against the Cho family for breach of trust and tax evasion.

Speaking at his church in the days after the conviction, Yong-gi Cho said that “God forbid, if God calls me back today, I will still be able to go to the Kingdom of God.”

Charisma magazine (regarded as the Christianity Today of the Pentecostal movement) has published an account by a Yong-gi Cho insider —a personal friend of 40 years—Dr Bob Rodgers, pastor of Evangel World Prayer Center in Louisville Kentucky, USA.

“Cho has three sons. The second and third sons are very productive and work in church-related ministries. His eldest son has been the prodigal. He has been married four times and has been involved in sexual scandals with national personalities. In addition, he has served prison time for investment scams and embezzlement. His scandalized life has been an embarrassment to his family and the church.

“Twelve years ago, this son purposely defrauded the church in excess of $12 million in a stock-related scheme. Cho testified that he trusted his elders and son and didn’t check and read the thousands of pages of paperwork, which was prepared for him to sign. Because Cho relied upon the direction of his choice elders and son, he signed the papers. He never received any monies from the transaction.

“The presiding judge said, ‘The court considered that even though Pastor Cho had the final say in the church, he never took the lead in any of the crimes, including tax evasion, committed on the suggestion of the accounting firm.’”

Rodgers points out that Pastor Cho lives very simply in a “1,000-square-foot church apartment”. Neither does he own a car. Cho has raised and given personally to the church more than $170 million.