Gospel for Asia in lawsuit over misuse of donations

Gospel for Asia in lawsuit over misuse of donations

DALLAS — Along with several of its affiliates, Gospel for Asia (GFA), a United States-based missions agency that operates primarily in India, was named in a class action lawsuit Feb. 8 for fraudulently soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable donations and misdirecting the money to K.P. Yohannan, the organization’s leader.

Initiated by Dallas-based Stanley Law Group, the lawsuit comes four months after the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) cut ties with the organization for violating five of the ECFA’s seven core standards, according to The Christian Post.

Before removing GFA from its accreditation list, EFCA provided 16 key concerns to the organization regarding its financial affairs. Concerns included the presence of excessive cash balances held in partner field accounts in India, according to the Post, and the use of missions trip participants to move thousands of dollars out of the country that were not reported to U.S. authorities.

Plaintiffs in the case allege that GFA, Yohannan and other GFA officials misrepresented to donors how, when and where donations would be spent, the Post reported. The money was then collected into for-profit businesses and used in constructing headquarters.

(TAB)