US confident Quiboloy will face justice for heinous crimes

The United States expressed confidence on Wednesday that Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy will undergo the justice process amid the cases filed against him in America.

“We are confident that Quiboloy will face justice for his heinous crimes. Questions about legal proceedings should be directed to the US Department of Justice,” the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

The US Embassy said Quiboloy is on the Most Wanted List of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and that he is supposedly involved in serious human rights abuses such as systemic rape.

“For more than a decade, Apollo Quiboloy engaged in serious human rights abuses, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, and he is currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted List,” it said.

GMA News Online has sought comment from Quiboloy's lawyer Atty. Ferdinand Topacio on the matter but he has yet to provide a statement as of posting time.

Rendition

Earlier on Wednesday, Quiboloy released an audio recording where he said that the US government, allegedly with help from Philippine government officials, is plotting to "eliminate" him through rendition.

Quiboloy said he learned from "reliable sources" that US government bodies like the FBI and the Central are eyeing to conduct "rendition" on him instead of extradition.

"Ayaw na raw po nila ng extradition treaty. Ang kanila pong gagawin ng CIA, FBI, ng US Embassy, at State Department, kasabwat ng ating gobyerno ng Pangulong Marcos at ng First Lady at kung sino pa man ang nasa gobyerno, ako ay rendition ang kanilang gagawin," he said.

(They allegedly no longer want extradition. What the CIA, FBI, the US Embassy and US State Department, with the help of President Marcos and the First Lady and other officials, plan to do is rendition.)

With rendition, a suspect with an outstanding arrest warrant is forcibly abducted from another state, according to Oxford's definition.

"It's not only rendition but also elimination. If it's possible, puwede nila akong i-assassinate," Quiboloy said.

GMA News Online has already reached out to Malacañang for its  comment regarding Quiboloy's accusation, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

Bounty?

Quiboloy made several other accusations during the 37-minute audio message, including the US offering $2 million or P100 million bounty for his arrest and a supposed plan to plant evidence against him.

But in a message to GMA Integrated News, FBI Public Affairs Specialist Laura Eimiller said she is not aware of any bounty for Quiboloy's arrest but confirmed that he has an outstanding arrest warrant in the US.

"There is an active arrest warrant for Mr. Quiboloy but I’m unaware of a reward offer,” Eimiller said. 

In December 2023, a United States court set a new date for the trial for the criminal cases of Quiboloy to November 5, 2024.

The proceedings are for charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, coercion, and sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, fraud and misuse of visas, bulk cash smuggling, promotional money laundering, and international promotional money laundering.

In the Philippines, both the Senate and the House of Representatives have issued subpoena against Quiboloy after he skipped the separate congressional hearings on the alleged abuses being linked to his religious group as well as controversies surrounding calls to revoke the franchise of Swara Sug Media Corporation, which runs and operates Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

Quiboloy has said that he will not submit himself to the Senate inquiry into the allegations of sexual abuse made by former members of his religious organization against him.

Quiboloy said he would only face the allegations against him before the courts. — Joviland Rita and Michaela Del Callar/RSJ, GMA Integrated News