US bid to extradite Quiboloy nears Philippine court

National

APOLLO Quiboloy’s possible extradition to the US is moving closer to court as the Department of Justice nears completion of its review.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said Thursday, Oct. 1, that the DOJ is preparing to file a petition before a local court after completing its evaluation of the US request to extradite the religious sect founder.

“We’re in the final stages already of the vetting. We’re just doing some legal scrubbing. We’re almost ready to file the petition,” Vida said during a press briefing at the DOJ headquarters, as quoted by the Inquirer.net.

The department is reviewing the voluminous documents transmitted by the US Department of State through the Department of Foreign Affairs to determine whether the request meets the requirements for an extradition petition before a regional trial court.

The DOJ is also checking the petition against the 1994 extradition treaty between the Philippines and the United States and the Supreme Court’s new rules issued last year to streamline extradition proceedings.

Under the new rules, appeals in extradition cases may only be brought before the Court of Appeals, which must issue a decision within 90 days. The appellate court’s ruling would then be considered “final and immediately executory.”

Previously, extradition cases could be appealed to the Supreme Court, a process that could prolong proceedings.

The DOJ began reviewing the US extradition request in August. Quiboloy faces charges in a California court involving sex trafficking of minors, visa fraud and bulk cash smuggling.

He remains detained at the Pasig City Jail while facing separate cases in the Philippines, including qualified human trafficking before the Pasig Regional Trial Court and sexual abuse and maltreatment before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

The filing of the extradition petition, however, would not mean that Quiboloy would be immediately turned over to US authorities. Vida said the actual extradition, if eventually granted by the court, could still take time because of various factors, including possible legal challenges from Quiboloy.(MyTVCebu)