THE church which owns the former EMD cinema has said allegations of fraud against its members will not delay plans for the site.

Members of The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), which bought the Hoe Street building in 2003, have been charged with siphoning off billions of pounds intended for charity in Brazil.

But a spokeswoman for the church said the UCKG Help Centre in the UK is a registered charity - whose accounts are closely regulated by the charity commission - and its administration is “totally independent” of UCKG in Brazil.

She said: “With regard to the accusations against Bishop Macedo, we understand from Brazil that this is a complex situation, with local vested interests opposed to the church’s growth and determined to generate false perceptions.

  “Although UCKG works to help people turn their lives around, worldwide, such false accusations are not new. We are confident that Bishop Macedo will be exonerated.”

The UCKG hopes to gain permission to turn the former cinema into a church and help centre, a plan which has been met with opposition from campaigners, who want to see the building re-opened as a cinema.

Cinema campaigners, The McGuffin Film Society, claim the accusations of fraud have thrown fresh doubts on the church's plans.