DOJ reviews US bid to extradite Quiboloy

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) will assess the United States’ request to extradite alleged sex offender and sect leader Apollo Quiboloy, including how the proceedings abroad may affect the criminal cases he is facing before Philippine courts.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida on Friday confirmed that the DOJ had received the voluminous documents related to the extradition request, which were transmitted by the US Department of State through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

He said the request would now be up for review in accordance with the existing treaty the Philippines has with the United States.

“Everything will be validated pursuant to the requirements. There would be requirements prior to actual extradition of a particular person, [and] of course, the existence of ongoing case—criminal case—against the accused, Mr. Quiboloy, would be another fact that we need to check and to cross-refer pursuant to the legal issues … particularly if it will create some legal impediment on the matter,” Vida said on the sidelines of the “Judiciary Night” of the Manila Overseas Press Club on Friday.

“But everything will be studied. Everything will be done pursuant to what the rule and the law [requires],” he added.

READ: Hontiveros on Quiboloy extradition: About time

Asked whether the DOJ has set a time frame to come up with a decision, Vida said the request would be given priority. But, he said, it would have to be carefully scrutinized to make sure that the circumstances in Quiboloy’s criminal cases pending in two local courts are factored in.

‘Wanted asap’

“We look at the whole habitat of the Philippine legal system in evaluating this. Not only the existing treaty, not only the particular rules relevant to the case, (but) also decided cases of the Supreme Court, which will always guide all actions of the Philippine government,” he said.

This includes the grievances raised and the redress sought by Quiboloy’s victims in his case, the justice chief noted.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said the US wants the Filipino televangelist to be extradited as soon as possible.

“The formal request was transmitted to the Department of Justice. (It was transmitted by the) US State Department … they want Quiboloy asap due to numerous cases in the US,” he told the Philippine News Agency in a text message on Thursday.

The envoy, however, said it would still be up to the DOJ to determine whether to extradite Quiboloy despite his pending cases in the country.

In Malacañang, Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a statement on Friday the “request for the extradition […] is a matter that must be deliberated upon, evaluated, assessed and resolved in due course to ensure the highest level of justice is served for the alleged victims here and in the US, as well as for the accused.”

Quiboloy is charged with qualified human trafficking in the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) and a separate case of sexual abuse and maltreatment in the Quezon City RTC.

The US extradition request stems from his 2021 indictment in California on charges that include sex trafficking of minors, visa fraud and bulk cash smuggling. He also had been on the “most wanted” list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Last Thursday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she was relieved that both Philippine and US authorities are seeking to hold Quiboloy accountable for his alleged crimes.

Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, led the investigation into Quiboloy and his alleged involvement in large-scale human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors, forced labor and rights violations.

The Senate probe served as a platform for victim-survivors to testify against the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), who brands himself as the “appointed son of God.”

“It’s about time for Apollo Quiboloy to be extradited to the United States of America. He trafficked women and girls from around the world. Justice demands that he answer for these crimes in the very places he committed them,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

Citing Article 11 of the 1994 Philippines-US Extradition Treaty, DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez earlier noted that the Philippine government may turn over Quiboloy to the custody of the United States and face trial there as long as conditions under the existing treaty are met.

Quiboloy would then remain in US custody during the proceedings and be returned to the Philippines after the conclusion of the case, in accordance with the treaty.

Deferring extradition

Another option is for Philippine authorities to defer the extradition of Quiboloy until after he has been fully prosecuted or he has finished his prison term if convicted.

He has been detained since the police captured him in September 2024 in the KOJC’s 30-hectare compound in Davao City following a 16-day search by the police.

Then Davao regional police chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III had described Quiboloy’s hideout as an “Armageddon” type of bunker as it was replete with life and motion detectors and ground-penetrating radars.

The sect leader was initially held in the custodial center of Camp Crame before he was ordered transferred to Pasig City Jail. His bid for a hospital arrest has been denied by the Pasig court. —WITH A REPORT FROM PHILIPPINE NEWS AGE

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