French Pastor Convicted for Swindling Over €2 Million from Congregation

In a shocking case of religious fraud, Charles Bameko, a 52-year-old Congolese pastor of the la Bonne semence transmise (Good seed transmitted) church in Créteil, France, was convicted of swindling over two million euros. The case, which unfolded in the Palace of Justice in Créteil, highlights the growing concern over financial exploitation within religious organizations.

From 2019 to 2022, Pastor Bameko collected thousands of donations from his congregation and online followers, purportedly for religious activities. However, investigations revealed that these funds were diverted to various personal, business, and association accounts, all under the church’s name. This misuse of funds led to charges of misuse of corporate assets, breach of trust, and laundering of tax fraud against Bameko.

Bameko’s defense was that the donations received during the broadcasting of his sermons on YouTube were meant for him to lead an evangelical crusade in Europe and Africa. He claimed that his church aimed to create orphanages, schools, and hospitals in Africa and had already built an orphanage in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite these claims, the prosecution argued that the funds were not used for these charitable purposes but rather to support Bameko and his partner’s lavish lifestyle, evidenced by luxury goods and properties linked to them.

The pastor, pleading the “sin of ignorance,” referred to his clean criminal record as proof of his good integration in France. However, his partner, accused of handling stolen goods, was also given a one-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentence.

The absence of civil parties or churchgoers testifying that they had been taken advantage of was pointed out by one of the defense lawyers, while another suggested a management problem and ignorance of French law to explain the failure to declare the money to the tax authorities. However, the prosecutor highlighted that the pastor had deliberately confused the various organizations receiving donations, emphasizing that the money was used to satisfy the couple’s lifestyle and greed, not for God’s work.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the potential for financial exploitation in religious settings and the importance of transparency and accountability in managing donations. It also raises questions about the oversight of religious organizations and the need for stricter regulations to prevent such abuses.

The la Bonne semence transmise church is not affiliated with the National Council of Evangelical Christians in France (CNEF), indicating a lack of oversight by larger religious bodies. As the case concludes, it leaves a trail of questions about the ethical responsibilities of religious leaders and the trust placed in them by their congregations.