Elizabeth O.
UK govt Closes down Pastor Tobi Adegboyega’s church over £1.9m fraud
The evangelical church commonly known as SPAC Nation was napped in the High Court on 9 June 2022 before Judge Burton, after the church reportedly failed to properly account for more than £1.87 million of outgoings and operating with a lack of transparency.
The court heard that SPAC Nation was incorporated in 2012, a charity set up to advance Christianity. Much of its charitable work was based in London, working particularly with vulnerable people, youth, and offenders.
The Christian group was first well-accepted and earned media attention. However, by late 2019, SPAC Nation has come under fire from the public when former church members claimed that senior church officials had taken advantage of them financially.
The statement reads,
“The court heard that SPAC Nation was incorporated in 2012, a charity set up to advance Christianity. Much of its charitable work was based in London, working particularly with vulnerable people, youth, and offenders.
Initially, the church group received positive reviews and media attention. But by late 2019 SPAC Nation was subject to media scrutiny following allegations by former church members they had been financially exploited by senior church personnel.
Investigators interviewed pastor Dapo Tobi Adegboyega and he said that the church group had over 2,000 members and 200 ordained ministers and pastors but failed to provide any supporting information.
Further enquiries found that SPAC Nation either failed to comply or only partially complied with statutory requirements, including providing data to support claimed donations, and accounting records in support of £1.87 million of expenditure.
The company’s financial statements in the two years to 31 December 2019 set out £610,000 of rent expenditure. However, the company did not have a single base of its own and would hire venues across London to hold services, at significant expense.
Salvation Proclaimer Ministries Limited was wound-up after the court concluded the company operated with a lack of transparency, filed suspicious or incorrect accounts, and was insolvent at the time of the hearing.
It was also recognised that the company provided inconsistent information to the Insolvency Service and Charity Commission, and failed to deliver up adequate accounting records”.
