Apollo Quiboloy (C), pastor and founder of the Philippine-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, arrives to attend a hearing at the Senate in Manila on October 23, 2024, over accusation charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse of a minor. [AFP]
The United States has formally requested the extradition of a Filipino pastor wanted on sex-trafficking charges, the Philippines' foreign affairs department said Thursday.
Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God" and ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested in the Philippines in 2024 on human-trafficking charges.
He faces life in prison if found guilty in the case, which accuses him of using women and child sect members to sell goods and raise funds for his church.
Quiboloy, who pleaded not guilty shortly after his August 2024 arrest, has been held in a Manila jail ever since.
A US grand jury had indicted Quiboloy three years earlier for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.
The 2021 US indictment alleges girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 were recruited as personal assistants for Quiboloy to prepare his meals, clean his residence, give him massages, and have sex with him.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirms it has received the United States Government's request for the extradition of Apollo Quiboloy. The DFA has endorsed the request to the Department of Justice," spokeswoman Analyn Ratonel told AFP in a text message.