Quiboloy ready to face allegations vs him in court – lawyer
THE lawyer of Davao-based preacher Apollo Quiboloy said the latter is ready to face sexual abuse and human trafficking charges, but only before the courts, and not before the houses of Congress that are investigating him.
In a recorded video interview with The Manila Times, Quiboloy’s legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio said it is “too early to tell” if the preacher, who has been indicted by US federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, California of sex trafficking, would appear before the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Both chambers of Congress have moved to issue arrest warrants for Quiboloy if he continues to defy their summonses to testify at their hearings.
“We are ready to face all legal processes, all accusations, as long as these accusations and processes are made in the proper forum, and we have always maintained that the Senate is not the proper forum to determine the guilt or innocence of anyone with respect to the commission of a crime,” he said.
“That is not our principle, it is a doctrine enunciated by the Supreme Court in so many cases,” Topacio added, citing the case of Pharmally director Linconn Ong against the Senate blue ribbon committee, which was filed to the high court in November last year.
Topacio said that the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the courts are the “proper forum” in the case of his client, citing that they resolved some “outstanding cases” against Quiboloy.
“As Pastor Quiboloy said, it doesn’t matter if there are thousands of accusations, if there are thousands of witnesses, as long as the forum is correct … it is the courts, where there are rules of evidence, there is due process, there are rules for the presentation of evidence, and the playing field is leveled, [where] he is willing to face them,” he said.
Topacio said the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality headed by Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros is not the proper forum for Quiboloy to defend himself.
“Those hearings are not in aid of legislation, they are in aid of persecution,” he said.
“In my experience, these accusations [against Quiboloy], which are trumped-up, will eventually be proven false,” Topacio added.
He said extraditing Quiboloy to the United States is far-fetched, and will depend on whether the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would request his extradition from the Philippines.
Quiboloy, leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is a wanted fugitive by the FBI and was issued a federal arrest warrant in 2021 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.”
Last week, Central District of California Judge Terry Hatter Jr. ordered the unsealing of the warrant of arrest against the preacher.
On Nov. 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for Quiboloy’s arrest after prosecutors in California announced sex trafficking charges against him, alleging that he and several others had sexually abused female church members ages 12 to 25 in exchange for privileges and to avoid “eternal damnation.” Quiboloy’s assets in the United States have been described by the FBI as “ill-gotten,” and on Dec. 10, 2022, the US Department of Treasury and the US State Department imposed sanctions on Quiboloy and several other persons in connection with corruption and gross human rights abuses.
The House on Thursday said it is ready to issue an arrest warrant for Quiboloy once the Committee on Legislative Franchises signs the contempt order against him.
Quiboloy was cited in contempt by the committee over his repeated refusal to attend the committee hearings that investigated his network, Sonshine Media Network International, for alleged fake news reporting and franchise violations.
In a press briefing on Thursday, House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco said that the arrest warrant will be ready by Friday, which could be served by the Office of the House Sergeant-at-Arms by Monday or Tuesday next week.
The arrest warrant, Velasco said, will be signed by the chairman of the committee, Parañaque 2nd District Rep. Gustavo Tambunting, and “any authorized House official.”
He also promised that Quiboloy, once arrested, will be safe and secure in the detention facilities of the House of Representatives, located near the South Wing Annex building.
“These rooms are air-conditioned, accessible to the relatives of the person in detention and to the media, you can monitor their stay, and hopefully they can enjoy their stay here. We promise them a pleasant experience,” Velasco said.