JW Bethel asks for a million euros to be paid to avoid courtroom

by darkspilver 9 Replies latest watchtower scandals

  • darkspilver
    darkspilver

    From Cronica (Spain)

    Jehovah's Witnesses 'plugged' a one million euro entrepreneurial hole

    The cult asked to maintain the "peace" of a congregation in Galicia to avoid that the case of emptying of the company reached civil justice.

    JWs asked to hide a million-euro business hole at a supply company in La Coruña (Galicia). The cult appealed to the "peace" of the congregation to pressure the co-owners of the firm and prevent them from reporting the case to ordinary justice.

    http://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/vida/testigos-jehova-agujero-empresarial-galicia_69908_102.html



    Posted 06:40 EDT Saturday, 18 March 2017
    https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5714189639221248/_post/6316024817254400

  • oppostate
    oppostate

    I am not sure I understand the problem in this report fully. It seems a company in Spain owned by JWs was doing some sort of illegal book keeping and the WT Branch told them to stop it.

    Is that correct?

  • Calebs Airplane
    Calebs Airplane

    Sorry Dark... I think you may have misread... Although what you stated in the title of your post may actually happen, I don't think it has yet.

  • Hecce
    Hecce

    The way that I read it "they don't this matter in open court, to not bring reproach". The truth is that maybe some heavy's at Bethel have been getting benefits from the scam and they don't want people digging into this. The affected parties are wasting their time looking for an internal solution and not going to Caesar;

  • darkspilver
    darkspilver

    It's an ongoing dispute that has not been solved yet - it hasn't 'happened' as it hasn't been resolved yet.

    It seems that it is regarding a JW family owned and run business (society a) - which has various JW extended famiy members as shareholders.

    When one of those shareholders died in 2014, their daughter inherited the shareholding (from society a), but she discovered the holding was worth less than it should have been (or at least less than she thought it should be worth)

    It appears that a second company (society B) had been set up at some point by the other shareholders, which was in the same business and to which they diverted business (away from society a and to society b) - ie the second company had been set up in order to effectively freeze the daughter out.

    I wonder if the original purpose of the shareholders was for them all to be workers at the company and therefore sharers in the profits - and that the dynamic changed when one died - it seems that the inheriting daughter may have only been a shareholder rather than also a worker at the company, hence the above strategism.

    The daughter seems to be claiming for the loss by original company (society a) of one million euros.

    Due to all the family being JWs, it appears that the Spanish Bethel is saying that the 'peace' in the congregation is more important than going to court to deal with this financial/business problem. (and the monies effectively 'paid' in that it is not being handed back to the original company (society a))

  • under the radar
    under the radar

    Maybe this daughter should turn the tables and ask Bethel if requiring the wrongdoers to be honest, "without reproach," and to do "all things... decently and by arrangement" isn't more important than letting others screw her out of what is rightfully hers. (1 Tim. 3:2) (1 Cor. 14:40)

    Whether exposed publicly or not, those who would defraud her are themselves bringing reproach on the J-dog's name. If she allowed the wrongdoers to continue to present themselves as righteous and good examples to the flock, she would become a sharer in their sins. (1 Tim. 5:22)

    Therefore, in order to vindicate the J-dog's name and protect the cleanliness of the congregation, she feels compelled to make sure the thieves and hypocrites are exposed and disciplined. If the Society does not want to share in the perpetrators' sins, it must cooperate fully in making sure the victim receives full restitution.

    Only in this way can the congregation be "above reproach" and "not open to accusation." (Titus 1:6)

    Just sayin"...

  • sp74bb
    sp74bb

    Full translation in English:

    Jehovah's Witnesses asked to hide a one-million-euro entrepreneurial hole at a Northern Spain supply firm. The cult appealed to the "peace" of the congregation to pressure the co-owners of the firm and prevent them from reporting the case to ordinary justice.

    The case concerns a well-known construction supplies company based in a large northern city. The company, founded in 1975, belongs to a family that has been a member of the Witnesses since it was born.

    When one of the parents died in 2014, one of the daughters inherited a share in society. The rest of the capital remained in the hands of his relatives.

    "ONE MILLION EUROS"

    When the citizen received the shareholding inheritance, she discovered a remarkable puff in the firm in what seemed a solvent company, according to the documents to which this newspaper has been able to access.

    According to the documents in the hands of several congregations of Witnesses in the northern area, the partner would have discovered the suspicious sale of an industrial warehouse and diversion of funds.

    Likewise, the creation of a very similar company with a similar name emerged, a redirected web portal and an identical telephone. With this stratagem, the parallel merchant would have taken the goodwill, the merchandise and the clientele.

    The complainant estimates that the loss caused by the alleged unfair administration totals one million euros, 400,000 euros in diverted funds and 600,000 in goods transferred to society B.

    THE WITNESSES SUGGEST TO BE SILENT

    As a Jehovah's Witness by birth, the neighbor came to the internal justice of the millenarian cult. Its first complaint of 2014, to which this newspaper was able to accede, suggested that its partners had committed fraud, unfair competition and irregular administration.

    The response of the head office of the denomination in Spanish Bethel was very clear. "We want to encourage you to apply the biblical principles in all your decisions and not to be carried away by the emotions," says the letter.

    SECOND COMPLAINT

    Not content with the answer, the affected ones took another step. They sent an official letter to the headquarters of the Witnesses in which they insisted on indications of fraud. In addition, they called for the creation of an internal committee to investigate what happened.

    Again, the leadership of the cult responded ( letter enclosed ) calling on the family to avoid ordinary justice. "Is the money and the rights, or the peace and family unity of the congregation more important to us?" asks a passage from the response letter.

    "We are sure," continues the letter, "that as Christians who wish to do things in Jehovah 's way you will strive to follow these and other advice."

    PRESSURES

    In the rest of the documentation, the affected people emphasize the pressures received.

    As the documents read, the businesswoman is affiliated with the denomination's internal justice administration circuit that has been relentless with her even though she would have delivered money to the family society when she needed it.

    According to the latest communication with Spanish Bethel, the citizen has now turned to the Witnesses legal department at the world headquarters in the United States to try to reopen the investigation.

  • darkspilver
    darkspilver

    "there is no public basis for establishing that fraud has been committed".

    Below is a copy of the letter from the Spanish Bethel (via google translate)

    28 February 2017

    Subject: Financial matters affecting the XXX

    In response to your letter of January 3, 2017, addressed to the Branch Committee, write to us on the 9th of that month, which indicated that the next visit of the circuit superintendent would discuss the issues you raised . After his visit and the meeting with all those involved. The circuit superintendent has sent us his conclusions. Based on these we are pleased to offer you the following comments.

    The brothers indicate that "there is no public basis for establishing that fraud has been committed". Because brother XXX and his wife, XXX decided to sell the ship, owned by them, in order to "try to clean up the debts being honest and transparent[s]", so you can not continue with the process Of Matthew 18: 15-17. The one that, later. Brother XXX decided to help XXX in the formation of a new family business, we understand that it is a personal and familiar matter, in which the congregation must be kept out.

    We trust that the conversation with the circuit superintendent has helped you to find a peaceful and friendly solution. Dear XXX do not question our criteria for what happened. But seeing the effect that this might have on the relations with your family, the brothers of the congregation and even your spirituality, do not you believe that "the price" that is being paid by all those involved could be much higher That the value that the possessions for which you are litigating could have? In First Corinthians 6: 7 it says, "Truly, then, it is a complete defeat for you who are having litigation with one another: why do not they rather let them do injustice to them? That defraud them? " With these words, Jehovah reminds us that priorities must sometimes be set in our lives. Is money and our rights, or the peace and unity of the family and the congregation, more important to us? What do we value more, money or our spirituality? Does it compensate for everything we strive to achieve if, after that, we leave pain and open wounds? We are sure that as Christians you want to do things the way Jehovah does. You will strive to follow these and other advice that will have been offered, knowing that the love that we feel for you motivates them. Therefore, unless new and clear evidence arises, we give this matter as closed.

  • Spoletta
    Spoletta

    It seems to me that the Org values money more than spirituality, considering the number of congregations being relocated.

  • _Morpheus
    _Morpheus

    Interesting that they didnt tell the first group to pay her and not worry the money. Its always a one way street.

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