“Hindi totoo (That’s not true).”
Thus said Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. about reports that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy had been turned over to American authorities and quietly extradited to the United States.
For days, the grapevine was abuzz with the supposed transfer of Quiboloy to the jurisdiction of US authorities even if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said the religious leader would first have to face charges in the Philippines.
Quiboloy is accused of human trafficking, child exploitation and money laundering for allegedly forcing members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) to work without pay. He is also accused of sexually abusing women and minors.
In the US, he is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Likewise, he is accused of using KoJC funds for personal gain and of coercing members into donating large sums of money.
According to sources, a news blackout has been imposed on Quiboloy following his arrest last 8 September inside the KoJC compound in Davao City, ending months of hiding.
Philippine National Police chief General Rommel Marbil did not comment on the reports. DAILY TRIBUNE has been trying to contact Quiboloy’s lawyers for news on his status.
The PNP deployed about 2,000 policemen at the KoJC compound to arrest Quiboloy, the “self-proclaimed son of God” who served as spiritual adviser to former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Prior to Quiboloy’s arrest, the religious leader had appointed Duterte the overseer of the vast KoJC compound.
The former president and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, as well as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa had decried the supposed high-handed manner by which the police tried to arrest Quiboloy.
Without naming the Dutertes or Dela Rosa, the PNP has warned it would file charges against those who helped Quiboloy hide for weeks.