Quiboloy one step closer to US extradition as Makati court issues arrest warrant

National

AFTER spending more than four years on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list, Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Apollo Quiboloy now faces another legal hurdle, with a Makati court issuing an extradition arrest warrant against him and two co-accused.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) found probable cause to issue the warrant against Quiboloy, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag in connection with US charges of international human trafficking, sex trafficking, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling.

The court also issued hold-departure orders against the three “to prevent any attempt by each of them to depart from the Philippines.”

Under extradition rules, the respondents must be personally served copies of the petition and its annexes once the court is notified of the warrant’s implementation. They will then have 15 days to file verified answers, the DOJ said.

Quiboloy is detained at the Pasig City Jail over a qualified human trafficking case before the Pasig City RTC. DOJ spokesman Polo Martinez said the prosecution has completed presenting its evidence and is preparing its formal offer of evidence, after which the defense may submit its comment.

A separate child abuse case remains pending before the Quezon City RTC, where the prosecution is still presenting evidence.

Quiboloy was arrested in the Philippines in 2024, three years after a US grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which has yet to receive a copy of the Makati court’s warrant, said it would coordinate with the DOJ on the next steps.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the agency was ready to assist in the extradition, but noted that Quiboloy’s current custodial agency would be responsible for presenting him before the court. He also cautioned that no timetable could be set as the process would depend on court proceedings and DOJ instructions.

“If there is already an extradition warrant, it means the subject of the warrant should be presented to the court for its execution,” Matibag said in a Philstar report.

Malacañang said the extradition arrest warrant was a procedural requirement despite Quiboloy’s existing detention, explaining that he would otherwise have to be brought before the court.

Palace press officer Claire Castro also clarified that the timing of the proceedings had no connection to US President Donald Trump’s visit, saying the two events merely coincided.

Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed the development, saying the extradition process should proceed without delay. She previously led Senate inquiries into alleged abuses within the KOJC, during which female victim-survivors testified against Quiboloy.

“The world is listening. Quiboloy can no longer escape accountability,” she said in the same article.

Hontiveros stressed that the women who came forward to testify against Quiboloy must not be abandoned, emphasizing that accountability should apply regardless of a person’s influence or the country’s jurisdiction. She said

Quiboloy should be held accountable for the allegations against him, adding that no one should be above the law.(MyTVCebu)