Court Of Appeal Reduces Sentence Of Ex-RCCG Pastor Who Stole €125,000 From Irish Church

A former Nigerian pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Ireland, Ebenezer Oduntan, has had his prison sentence reduced after being convicted of stealing more than €125,000 from his church in County Kildare.
Oduntan, 60, a former pastor of the City of David Church in Kildare, was originally sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, with the final six months suspended, following his conviction on 87 theft and fraud-related offences. The conviction came after a three-week trial at Naas Circuit Criminal Court in March 2024.
The church, which has charitable status in Ireland, is a branch of the Nigeria-based Pentecostal denomination.
On appeal, the Court of Appeal quashed the original sentence and substituted it with a reduced term of six years’ imprisonment, with the final six months suspended.
Delivering judgment, Mr Justice Alexander Owens said the appellate court found that the headline sentence imposed by trial judge Martina Baxter was “somewhat too high,” although he described the decision to reduce it as “a rather marginal one.”
The court also heard that Oduntan has not made any restitution to the congregation he defrauded or to Revenue authorities.