DOJ exec presents option to resolve Quiboloy cases in US

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday suggested that “temporary surrender” is another option for the United States government to bring Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “anointed Son of God” and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), before its federal grand jury and answer the sex trafficking charges against him.

The option, according to DOJ Chief State Counsel George Ortha, may be availed of in the event that Quiboloy’s extradition is not possible due to a pending case or conviction by a local court.

In 2020, the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaints of rape, child abuse under Republic Act 7610, trafficking in persons through forced labor and trafficking in persons through sexual abuse filed against Quiboloy and five others.

The complainant was a former member of Quiboloy’s religious sect whoallegedthatshewasrapedin2014.

Quiboloy denied the claim but the case is still under review by the Office of the Justice Secretary. “If the subject of the extradition is being prosecuted or is serving a sentence here [in the Philippines], temporary surrender may be an option,” Ortha said.

“If the dismissal of the rape complain is reversed, temporary surrender is allowed. In this case, he is being prosecuted,” he added.

Ortha further explained that if the appeal of the complainant pending in the DOJ is eventually dismissed and Quiboloy has no other pending case, temporary surrender would no longer be applicable since his extradition is already possible. “We have done this before, we temporarily surrender a person who was then in prison serving sentence,” Ortha said.

Talks about Quiboloy’s possible extradition surfaced after he was indicted last year by a US federal grand jury with sex trafficking along with two co-defendants.

Just recently, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has posted in its web site Quiboloy’s picture to announce that he is wanted 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; Bulk Cash Smuggling.”

Article 11 of the extradition treaty states, “If the extradition request is granted in the case of a person who is being prosecuted or is serving a sentence in the territory of the Requested State, the Requested State may temporarily surrender the person sought [by] the Requesting State for the purpose of prosecution.

The person so surrendered shall be kept in custody in the Requesting State and shall be returned to the Requested State after the conclusion of the proceedings against that person, in accordance with conditions to be determined by agreement between the contracting parties.”

The DOJ has not yet received any communication from the US government for Quiboloy’s extradition.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said any request for extradition would have to be evaluated first by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the DOJ before commencing any legal action.

While extradition is considered a summary proceeding, Guevarra said it might still reach the Supreme Court.