Lawyer Michael Jay Green, the American counsel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and its founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, said he was stunned when he learned that Quiboloy had been sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury over alleged human trafficking and other human rights abuses.

Quiboloy, the spiritual adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is among  40 individuals and entities from nine countries included in a US Department of the Treasury report announcing that they were being sanctioned due to their alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuse.

"If you read [the] press release, they've convicted him already. He's never been heard," protested Green.

"The government just agreed to continue this case for another year. This is something that I never thought would happen in this country. I never would believe this, and I can tell you something the team of lawyers we have: If the United States government thinks we're giving up and we're holding our hands and saying 'Oh my God' what are we going to do, they got another thing coming," Green said.

"This is not what we believe is the presumption of innocence we believe in, [the] fundamental fairness for the accused to be heard," he added. "I apologize worldwide and to the press and the people of the Philippines for this country of ours. It's just a sad commentary and what our system of jurisprudence has come to today."

The sanction announcement of the US Department of the Treasury here.