Where did Paul Mukendi get his money?

despite of many gifts Which they gave to Paul Mukendi’s church, the ex-believers, whom they captured on Radio Canada under cover of anonymity, asserted that they never benefited from the tax benefits they were due.

However, Words for Life Center has been registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) since 2005, a status that allows it to issue official receipts.

On the ARC website, data from Paul Mukendi Church indicates that receipts are being issued for the vast majority of donations collected, which have ranged between $186,000 and $281,000 annually since 2016.

George (fictitious name) guarantees that it does not represent what he experienced when he attended church in 2013. It is a taboo subject. We do not receive tax receipts, Cuts.

They tell you that you don’t need it because they don’t want to provide evidenceAdds Joëlle (fictitious name), who attended the Word of Life Evangelical Center until 2018.

They don’t say everything.

“Mixing Cards”

If I can draw a counterpart, it’s like going to a restaurant and not making a bill, not declaring the amounts received, comments Khyshyar Haqouian, a professor at the University Laval School of Law.

Although the charity is not required to provide a receipt, Mr. Hajjoyane remembers that this is an important way to attract donations, because donors can then get tax refunds.

In his opinion, there is one logical advantage of not issuing receipts: It will help muddy the water In the eyes of the tax authorities.

It will make it possible to disguise this income, this donation, which will constitute an amount that cannot be declared, neither as a donation nor as income.

Khchiar Haqouian, Professor at the University of Laval’s Faculty of Law

Photo: Laval University/Danny Fashion

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The CRA did not want to indicate whether the Evangelical Word Center for Life was ever audited, since its charitable status was never Canceled, suspended, penalized or canceled.

At the time of writing, Paul Mukendi’s press secretary had not responded to Radio Canada interview requests.

tax offender

However, the tax problems of Paul Mukendi are known to all. Man of Faith declared bankruptcy in 2018. His debts to Revenu Québec and the CRA, which amount to more than $430,000, have not been paid.

As we speak, the creditors have received nothing and will not receive anything regarding the pastor’s bankruptcy, comments Stefan LeBlond of LeBlond et Associés, the insolvency trustee responsible for the file.

Last June, the Supreme Court ordered Paul Mukendi to pay $5,000 to release his debt, something he never did, Leblond says.

However, its problems do not end there. They are serious enough that Professor Hagoian calls the priest Establish a tax offender.

We no longer talk about civil disputes. We are talking about conflicts, among other things of a criminal nature.

Following the investigation, Revenu Québec filed tax evasion charges against Reverend Paul Mukendi in 2019.

The man was charged with making false or misleading statements for the 2015 and 2016 tax years, both in relation to his charitable foundation and his personal income.

Last summer, Paul Mukendi finally pleaded guilty to one count in the case and was sentenced to pay a $150,000 fine.

Following this decision, the Life Speech Evangelical Center was added to the Register of Companies Unqualified for Public Contracts (RENA) at the beginning of October.

So the pastor’s body would not be able to win public contracts in Quebec for five years. The purpose of this registry is to penalize taxpayers who significantly violate tax obligations.Professor Hagoian recalls.

Donations to the company

But Reverend Mukendi is not only the founder of the Evangelical Word for Life Center. He also created a company that did not have a charitable character: The Ministry, Paul Mukendi. The pastor’s wife, Carmen Mukendi, is the majority shareholder.

On the ministry’s website, Paul Mukendi Inc. There is a section that invites believers to donate. Attitude abnormalAccording to law professor Khashyar Hajoian, it is rare for a company to ask for donations, he says.

There is reason to wonder what is going on [..] When making a donation to an entity that is a simple company, on the other hand, the person making the donation does not enjoy tax benefits, he explains.

On the other hand, the company receiving the donation is expected to include this income as business income in its taxable income for the year.

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Paul Mukendi’s Ministry website solicits donations, even if the entity is not a registered charity

Photo: screenshot / Ministry Paul Mukendi

This position put the slide in Joëlle’s ear when she was still attending church. When she left in 2018, she was also questioned by investigators from Revenu Québec.

Joëlle says she told them that when she gave the money in the form of a check, it wasn’t always payable to Center évangélique Parole de vie. It was a little strange, she is controlling.

New source of income: Bible Academy

A few months before he fled Canada to escape a prison sentence for sexual assault, Paul Mukendi unveiled his latest innovation: the Bible Academy, which he incorporated into his company.

The company is duly registered in Quebec and the first ads appeared on the Internet in May.

On the Bible Academy website, we can read that the Rev. is A Outstanding teacher. offers courses 100% online, within different units such as God’s righteousnessAnd Demonology where discernment of souls.

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Paul Mukendi Biblical Academy offers three sessions divided into several units

Photo: Bible Academy

Total cost for three sessions and file opening: $1,710, paid to Paul Mukendi Inc. a surprise And Importance by Alain Bouchard, Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology at Université Laval.

While it is not uncommon for evangelical or Baptist churches to establish this type of training course, M. Bouchard asserts that It’s often free as a form of training.

Another amazing element is that the Bible Academy website states that at the end of the training, students receive a Quality and internationally recognized certification.

Here again, Mr. Bouchard said to himself skepticalIn order to be recognized, the certificate must have the support of a trusted organization. Furthermore, Laval University has partnerships with several institutes in Quebec, but not with the Academy of the Bible.

It has no value to the outside world […] A person with this degree cannot, for example, apply to be a pastor in another church, except perhaps for the Ministry of Mr. Mukendi.

Alain Bouchard, Lecturer at the School of Theology and Religious Sciences at Laval University and Operations Coordinator, Resource Center and Monitoring Religious Creativity

Photo: Radio Canada/Alexander Duval

There is no recognition from the Ministry of Education

The Quebec Ministry of Education also confirms that Académie Paul Mukendi is not under license with the county government.

The degree offered by this institution is not recognized by the ministries, as it does not correspond to a study program recognized by the state., refers to the ministry in a letter.

The courses were due to begin in September, but since the press secretary did not respond to the pastor, it cannot be said whether the activities have actually begun.

Paul Mukendi, who also describes himself as an author, also owns a book publishing house registered in his wife’s name.

However, Radio Canada was unable to confirm whether Les Éditions Esther actually benefited from the tax breaks offered by the Quebec government.

In collaboration with David Rémillard