By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — The extradition case sought by the United States against religious leader Apollo Quiboloy has advanced after a Makati court issued arrest warrants against him and two other respondents.
The Department of Justice said the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 145 issued the extradition warrants on November 12 against Quiboloy, Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Helen Panilag after establishing probable cause.
The ruling means the court found sufficient grounds to establish that the three respondents were the individuals named in the US arrest documents, that the offenses cited were extraditable, and that they were linked to the alleged crimes.
Aside from the arrest warrants, the court imposed hold departure orders barring the three from leaving the Philippines.
The next stage involves the formal service of court documents. Under the extradition rules, each respondent must receive a summons, the extradition petition and its supporting annexes upon notification that an arrest has been implemented.
They will have 15 days from receipt of the documents to file their verified answers.
However, questions remain over the procedure for bringing Quiboloy and his co-accused before the Makati court, particularly since the religious leader is already detained. The DOJ has yet to respond to requests for clarification on the matter.
The extradition petition was transmitted to the Makati RTC on November 9, the department earlier disclosed.
Washington is seeking Quiboloy’s extradition over allegations involving sex trafficking, international human trafficking, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling.
In a 2021 indictment, a US federal grand jury charged Quiboloy with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, as well as sex trafficking involving children.
US prosecutors accused him and members of the KOJC of recruiting female members, including minors, under the guise of personal assistant positions and subsequently subjecting them to sexual exploitation.
Quiboloy is also facing criminal proceedings in the Philippines, including child and sexual abuse cases in Quezon City and a qualified human trafficking charge in Pasig.
He has repeatedly denied the accusations.
ia/xf
