THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has started evaluating the request for the extradition of detained religious leader Apollo Quiboloy from the United States, where he is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted list for sex trafficking and child exploitation.
Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the review will cover the Philippines’ extradition treaty with the US, relevant laws, Supreme Court rulings as well as Quiboloy’s pending local cases.
“The first step is to evaluate the formal transmittal from the Department of Foreign Affairs. We will fact-check everything and validate it based on the existing extradition treaty we have with the United States,” Vida said.
He said the DOJ is still in the evaluation stage and will announce its action once the review is completed.
“As soon as we have finished our evaluation, we will come up with a decision and we will inform the public,” he said.
Vida said the DOJ’s review will not be limited to the bilateral extradition treaty but will also take into account the country’s legal framework, including the Rules of Court and relevant Supreme Court decisions.
“We look at the whole habitat of the Philippine legal system in evaluating this — not only the existing treaty, not only the particular rules relevant to the case, but also decided cases of the Supreme Court, which will always guide all actions of the Philippine government,” he said.
The justice chief also said Quiboloy’s pending criminal cases before Philippine courts will form part of the evaluation, as these could have legal implications for any extradition proceedings.
“The existence of ongoing criminal cases against Mr. Quiboloy is another fact that we need to check and cross-reference to determine whether there will be any legal impediment. Everything will be studied, and everything will be done pursuant to the law and the rules,” Vida said.
Asked how soon the DOJ would decide on the request, Vida said the department would give the matter priority while balancing its other responsibilities.
Vida also declined to comment on the view of lead legal counsel for Quiboloy, Israelito Torreon, that his client’s extradition is “extremely unfeasible” under the Philippines-US extradition treaty and existing Supreme Court rules.
