Note 16 says that the Russian branch "is not a separate legal entity."
However, on p. 133 of
the property tax case record (vol. 1), Danny Shelton testified under oath:
Well, we have the largest protestant facility in the Ex-Soviet Union. It’s probably 130,000 square foot facility that we raised the money for and purchased and we started a corporation over there, and a corporation that’s a charitable tax exempt organization, which is in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, which is the third largest city and we allowed the Seventh-day Adventist Church, their facilities in Russia, because of lack of finances, we share them.
And from p. 190:
Q. Before I leave the questions about the employees, you mentioned salaries that you pay in Russia.
A. Yes.
Q. Does Three Angels pay the salaries of those individuals? -
A. Yes, we do.
Q. Do they directly work as employees of the Three Angels Broadcasting?
A. Our Russian branch, yes.
Q. Is that a separate corporation?
A. Yes.
And from pp. 349-350 of
the property tax case record (vol. 2):
Q. Let me ask you this question, Mr. Shelton.
You indicated, I guess maybe I’m confused from your testimony yesterday, because I think you indicated that the Russian facility was actually owned by a different entity’ other than Three Angels Broadcasting Network, correct?
A. For legal reasons we can’t call it Three Angels Broadcasting, but I’m still the Director and the President and I’m still -- it’s still Three Angels but it’s Three Angels of Russia. But for legal purposes the governments won’t allow us to do it. The same way with the Philippines, because I have to have national board members too as well.
Confusing, isn't it? Danny testifies under oath that there is a separate organization, a separate corporation in Russia, and that the employees in Russia work for that separate corporation.
Yet the audited financial statement claims that the Russian branch is not a separate legal entity.
The appearance of this discrepancy is as bad as 3ABN's 2004 990 claiming that Linda Shelton never was a board member or officer at any point in time during 2004, 3ABN's 2005 990 claiming that Nick Miller never was a board member at any point in time during 2005, and 3ABN's 2007 990 claiming that Jim Gilley, Stan Smith, Larry Romrell, Garwin McNeilus, and Max Trevino never were board members at any point in time during 2007.
Am I missing something regarding Russia, or am I seeing this correctly?