(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that it has received the formal extradition request from the United States government for detained religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing criminal charges in the US.
In a statement, the DFA said it has forwarded the request to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the country's designated central authority on extradition matters, for appropriate action under Philippine laws and the Philippines-United States Extradition Treaty.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs has received the extradition request from the United States and has transmitted it to the Department of Justice for appropriate action," the DFA said.
The DOJ will evaluate the request to determine whether it complies with the requirements of the bilateral extradition treaty and Philippine law before initiating judicial extradition proceedings before the courts.
Quiboloy, founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), is wanted in the United States on charges that include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, sex trafficking of children, bulk cash smuggling, and conspiracy related to labor trafficking. He has denied the allegations against him.
In the Philippines, Quiboloy is also facing separate criminal cases, including qualified human trafficking and child abuse charges, and is currently under government custody.
'Extremely unffeasible'
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio on Friday said the United States’ reported bid to extradite Quiboloy was “extremely unfeasible” at this point, citing his pending criminal cases before Philippine courts.
Topacio, a member of Quiboloy’s legal team and deputy spokesman of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), said they have yet to formally receive notice of any extradition request but maintained that any move by Washington must first comply with the Philippines’ extradition law, Presidential Decree 1069, and the Rules on Extradition Proceedings issued by the Supreme Court.
“It must be noted that the good Pastor is facing cases locally. Trumped up though they may be, nonetheless they are ongoing and Pastor Quiboloy is now under the custody of our courts. This makes extradition at this point extremely unfeasible, unless our government again chooses to meekly surrender its jurisdiction to a foreign power,” Topacio said.
He added that his camp was prepared to “defend the rights and interests of Pastor Quiboloy under the Constitution and our other laws.”
