freediver
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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22303984-5013404,00.html
ROBERT Orehek admits he did the wrong thing but claims it was the materialistic ethos of the pentecostal Hillsong Church that made him do it.
The 45-year-old former property developer is the man known for "fleecing" $25million from investors -- predominantly members of the Hillsong congregation -- to fund a property empire that failed spectacularly in 2003.
Mr Orehek strenuously denies the portrayals of him as an evil property developer intent on embezzling investor funds.
And he has an unlikely ally. Consumer advocate and real estate novelist Neil Jenman -- who has built a reputation for fighting unscrupulous property spruikers -- yesterday took to the witness box in defence of Mr Orehek.
Mr Orehek, Mr Jenman said, was a "dreadfully inept businessman" and "not particularly intelligent" but not someone who had set out to deceive investors.
In 1998, Mr Orehek was a small-time property developer, building single houses and "dual-occupancy" apartments. He had been worshiping at Hillsong twice a week for five years but had made "very few friends".
That changed in 1998 when parishioners discovered Mr Orehek was a "property developer". Suddenly he was contacted by "more than 100" members of the congregation seeking to invest in his developments.
But before the crash Mr Orehek, who believed he was "blessed to make money", started spending big, moving into a multi-million-dollar apartment and buying a Porsche and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Following the collapse, a suicidal and "deeply remorseful" Mr Orehek was banned from worshipping at Hillsong.
On behalf of Hillsong management, elder Kevin Brett wrote to Mr Orehek in February 2004 threatening to call the police if hereturned.
Hillsong refused repeated requests for an interview, but in a written statement the group's founder Brian Houston -- who had been a neighbour of Mr Orehek in the late 1990s -- defended the move to ban the failed developer.
"We maintain our right to ask anyone displaying predatory behaviour to cease attending our church, and it was our leadership's belief that there was a good reason to do so in this situation," Mr Houston said.
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