U.K Court Winds Up Nigerian Pastor’s Church
Salvation Proclaimer Ministries Limited, commonly known as SPAC Nation, has been wounded up in the public interest by Judge Burton of the High Court on 9 June 2022.
Also, the Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator of the company which authorities discovered to operated without transparency, filed suspicious or incorrect accounts, and was insolvent at the time of the hearing
SPAC Nation was incorporated in 2012 as a charity to advance Christianity in London to vulnerable people, youth, and offenders.
Trouble started for SPAC in late 2019 following allegations by former church members that they had been financially exploited by senior church personnel.
The Insolvency Service received complaints about SPAC Nation before instigating its confidential enquiries into the church group’s activities.
During interrogation, one of the church/company’s directors, Adedapo Olugbenga Adegboyega, who was also known as Pastor Dapo said 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 for 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.
It was also recognised that the company provided inconsistent information to the Insolvency Service and Charity Commission, and failed to deliver adequate accounting records
The company remains subject to a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission, which is examining financial, governance and safeguarding matters at the charity.
Edna Okhiria, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said: “while SPAC Nation claimed it had noble intentions to support vulnerable and young people, our enquiries uncovered a different side of the charity. There were clear concerns around how the church group managed its affairs and SPAC Nation failed to properly account for income received from donations and other expenditures.T
The court recognised the severity of SPAC Nation’s actions and this sends a strong message that proper records and accounts must be maintained, even if you’re a charity.
All enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ or [email protected].
Salvation Proclaimer Ministries Limited with company number 08208638, was incorporated on 10 September 2012. Its registered address is that of a serviced office provider at 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX.
The petition was presented by The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 18 January 2022 in the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts in England and Wales (CR-2022-000106), under the provisions of section 124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 following confidential enquiries by Company Investigations under section 447 of the Companies Act 1985, as amended.
Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for BEIS.
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