Hindu leader dodges financial questions

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In his first time testifying under oath about the state of his temple's financial affairs, Hindu Temple of Georgia leader Annamalai Annamalai often dodged questions about the value of land holdings and other assets and said "the temple doesn't own anything."

Annamalai said in a bankruptcy court hearing Monday that assets listed on temple balance sheets as recently as December 2008 – including three cars worth $148,000, statues of idols worth $168,000 and other religious merchandise worth $134,000 – actually belonged to other parties.

"The bookkeeper didn't know," Annamalai said. "The [Hindu] Temple of Georgia doesn't own anything."

The Hindu Temple of Georgia filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August to avoid foreclosure on its facility at 5900 Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross. Creditors were grilling Annamalai, the temple founder and chairman who goes by the name "Dr. Commander Selvam," in an attempt to recover some of a $2.3 million loan that the temple has defaulted on. Anderson Lake Properties currently holds the note on the property.

Some critics and creditors question Annamalai's lifestyle as being lavish. He resides in a million-dollar mansion in Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth. The bankruptcy filings state that the temple still owes him $435,000 for three months' salary and a bonus. And the guru also has spent untold legal fees on 24 lawsuits that are still pending in various local and federal courts against people he claims have  either maligned the temple or failed to pay fees for ritual services.

During the hearing, Annamalai said two Lexus vehicles and a Mercedes listed on the temple balance sheets belong to him. He said 108 valuable statues that the temple has boasted about owning were actually on loan from another temple in Arizona. Other religious merchandise on display at the temple belongs to a company called Indian Handicrafts in India, Annamalai said.

Also in dispute during the bankruptcy hearing was the value of the temple's real estate holdings. The temple owns three properties – 9 acres in Norcross, a  52-acre undeveloped tract in Carrollton and a 17-acre residential property in the same city.

Annamalai valued the properties at $7 million, $2.1 million and $250,000, respectively. Valerie Richmond, an attorney representing Anderson Lake pointed out that Annamalai had not produced appraisals to show why the value of the properties increased so much only a few years after the temple purchased them.