Transfer of Quiboloy sex case to Pasig court sought

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking the transfer to Pasig City of the sexual and child abuse complaints lodged against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy in a Davao City court.

DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano yesterday said the transfer is meant to allow the same team of prosecutors to “prosecute both cases together and jointly.”

Quiboloy is also facing a non-bailable human trafficking case before a Pasig City court.

Last week, the DOJ said it wrote to the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), which is under the Supreme Court (SC), to ask for the transfer of venue of the cases filed in Davao City.

According to SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting, the high tribunal has yet to act on the DOJ’s request.

Ting said Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has not yet received the recommendation of the OCA on the matter, to which the letter of the DOJ had been referred for evaluation, report and recommendation.

As a matter of procedure, the OCA makes a recommendation on the request made but the SC ultimately decides on petitions for change in venue, Ting explained.

Clavano also claimed the sexual and child abuse charges against the controversial preacher are being considered to be moved to a Quezon City court instead “due to the heavy case load in Pasig.”

Meanwhile, DOJ has also already sought a hold departure order to prevent Quiboloy from leaving the Philippines to evade arrest.

“Once you have a respondent or an accused that is a flight risk especially given the resources that this person has, then the prosecutors are very diligent in making sure that that doesn’t happen, that the accused is able to leave the country without actually facing the allegations in the proper forum,” Clavano said.

Akbayan party yesterday urged the DOJ to issue a hold departure order against Quiboloy, saying that it is not merely an obligation but a “moral imperative.”

By preventing Quiboloy’s departure from the country, the DOJ would affirm its commitment to protecting women’s spaces and ensuring the safety of all citizens, Akbayan added.

Clavano noted that Quiboloy is already on the lookout bulletin of the immigration bureau. The preacher is still hiding in the Philippines, the justice official added.

No US extradition request

There has also been no official request yet from United States authorities for Quiboloy’s extradition, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez in a press briefing at the Philippine embassy in Washington.

“We were informed that there was potentially a request for his extradition, but so far there has been none coming our way,” Romualdez said.

Quiboloy is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation “for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.”

He was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, according to the FBI.

On Nov. 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for the KOJC leader’s arrest.

Romualdez also said that there have been inquiries from rights advocates in the US who are monitoring the case. — Alexis Romero, Iris Gonzales