DOJ ‘almost ready to file’ extradition petition on Quiboloy

Kingdom of Jesus Christ Pastor Apollo Quiboloy faces senators for the first time during the public hearing of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Justice (DOJ) is “almost ready to file the petition” on the request of the United States government to send embattled pastor Apollo Quiboloy who is facing multiple charges of trafficking and cash smuggling.

“We’re in the final stages already of vetting, we are just doing legal scrubbing,” Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said in a media briefing yesterday.

 He added the agency was “almost ready to file the petition.” 

 He also noted the agency was “now governed by the Supreme Court rules on extradition,” wherein he said “there is a clear provision on the right of the person to be extradited and it would undergo a process.”

 When asked for a timeline for the filing of the extradition petition, Vida said that there were “several factors including defenses of the Quiboloy camp and the decision of the authority handling the petition, all beyond our control.”

 The Supreme Court’s Rules on Extradition Proceedings, specifically A. M. No. 22-03-29-SC, contains a provision on the “temporary surrender” of the person facing extradition to be decided by the local court handling his pending case under Section 17, Rule 2. 

“Where the judgment granting Extradition cannot be enforced because of Extraditee’s pending criminal cases in the Philippines, the Central Authority may file a motion in the court where the said criminal case requesting the temporary surrender of the Extraditee to the Requesting State,” read a part of the provision.

The Central Authority referred to the justice secretary or “any of the designated and authorized State Counsels.” 

The provision also stated, “The said court may allow the temporary surrender, under such conditions as it deems as proper considering the circumstances of the case.”

The US government in July this year transmitted its extradition request for Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious group who faces charges of sexual trafficking and bulk cash smuggling. 

Aside from the lawsuit in the US, human trafficking and child sexual abuse cases were also pressed against Quiboloy before courts in Pasig City and Quezon City.