Former interior and local government secretary Benhur Abalos on Friday filed a counter-affidavit before the Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with the complaint filed against him over the hunt for Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy.

Abalos filed his counter-affidavit to the malicious mischief complaint filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, the administrator of the KoJC properties, at the DoJ Central Office in Manila.

In his submission, Abalos said, “The charges are baseless. The filing of the complaint-affidavit is clearly politically motivated and brought in bad faith, intended to harass me and besmirch my good name and impugn my character.”

“As will be shown subsequently, and contrary to the allegations in the complaint-affidavit, I did not commit nor did I participate in any capacity whatsoever in the commission of the alleged crime/s being imputed against me,” he added.

Abalos was also charged with violation of domicile, grave abuse of authority, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

The complaints stemmed from the attempts to serve arrest warrants on Quiboloy and his co-accused at the KoJC compound in Davao City last August and September in connection with charges of child abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking.

Policemen led by P/Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, then Davao police director and now acting Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief, finally arrested Quiboloy, a close ally of Duterte, on 8 September.

Quiboloy is facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge and charges of violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act before a Pasig City court.