The United States has formally requested the extradition of a Filipino church leader who is on the FBI's most-wanted list to face trial on charges of child sex trafficking and fraud, according to Philippine officials.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila confirmed it received the US government's request for Apollo Quiboloy's extradition on Thursday and has referred it to the Department of Justice for action.
The request requires approval from two Philippine courts that have been hearing cases against the detained former televangelist for human trafficking and child abuse, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Quiboloy was arrested in 2024 on charges of child and sexual abuse as well as human trafficking. The Philippine Senate separately ordered his arrest at the time for refusing to appear in public hearings about his alleged crimes. He has remained in custody since then.
The preacher has denied the allegations, claiming they were fabricated by critics and former members who were expelled from his religious group.
Under Philippine law, criminal suspects must complete their trials and serve any sentences before extradition. However, the 1994 extradition treaty between Washington and Manila allows Philippine justice officials to request a domestic court to permit the temporary surrender of a suspect to a foreign court for trial before the resolution of local cases.
Quiboloy, 76, leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, founded in 1985 in Davao in the southern Philippines, which claims a large following both domestically and abroad, including in the US.
The self-proclaimed "appointed son of God" and "owner of the universe" has made outrageous claims that have raised questions about his character but endeared him to followers. He once claimed to have stopped a major earthquake from hitting the southern Philippines in 2019.
Quiboloy was an influential religious leader in the Philippines and regarded as a political kingmaker. He served as spiritual adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June 2016. Duterte was arrested in Manila last year under a warrant from the International Criminal Court and has since been detained in the Netherlands to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
In 2021, US federal prosecutors announced an indictment of Quiboloy for allegedly having sex with women and underage girls who faced threats of abuse and "eternal damnation" unless they agreed.
It is also alleged that female church members were recruited to work as personal assistants, or "pastorals," for Quiboloy. They would prepare his meals, clean his homes, give him massages, and were required to have sex in what the pastorals called "night duty."
Quiboloy was among nine people named in a superseding indictment returned by a US federal grand jury and unsealed in November 2021. It contained a series of charges, including conspiracy, sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, marriage fraud, money laundering, cash smuggling, and visa fraud.
Source: www.aljazeera.com