Responding to claims that Hillsong Church splurged thousands of dollars on a luxury Cartier watch for his wife, Bobbie, during his reign as global senior pastor, Brian Houston says she has never "bought, owned, or worn a Cartier watch in the past 25 years."
"Bobbie has neither bought, owned, or worn a Cartier watch in the past 25 years. It is just another lie told under parliamentary privilege. She never has AND NEVER WOULD buy a watch for herself with church finances. Yet another falsehood," Houston, who co-founded the Evangelical church network with his wife in 1983, wrote in a March 14 post on Twitter.
The 69-year-old Houston, set to appear in a California court Tuesday to answer drunk driving and related charges, lashed out days after Australian Parliament Member Andrew Wilkie accused Houston and other church leaders of money laundering, tax evasion and shopping sprees that would "embarrass a Kardashian."
The independent parliamentarian made headlines earlier this month as he released financial documents supplied to him by a whistleblower.
Among the alleged spending detailed by Wilkie are an AU$6,500 Cartier watch for Bobbie, $2,500 in Louis Vuitton luggage, a $2,500 watch for current Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley, two watches worth $15,000 for Joel and Julia A'Bell, shopping sprees for designer clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue and $16,000 for custom skateboards. Those close to the church's inner circle also benefited from cash gifts, Wilkie contends.
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