Quiboloy PH cases not affected by dismissal of KOJC member's raps in US — prosecutor

The cases against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy in the Philippines will not be affected by the dismissal of the charges against a KOJC human resource manager in the United States, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

During a Senate hearing, Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas said that KOJC manager Marissa Duenas was not a co-accused in Quiboloy’s cases.

“It will not affect the cases pending before the regional trial court (RTC) of Quezon City and the RTC of Pasig because Miss Duenas is not one of the accused. Neither is she one of the witnesses for the prosecution,” Torrevillas said.  

The United States government had dropped the cases of human trafficking, money laundering, and forced labor against Duenas after she agreed to plead guilty to the conspiracy charge to defraud the US in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Duenas is a co-accused of Maria De Leon, who is said to have processed fraudulent documents for church members.

Despite her plea bargain, the KOJC said Duenas remains loyal to Quiboloy and will not “persecute” other members.

For its part, the Department of Justice has said that prosecutors will use Duenas' plea bargain in the cases against Quiboloy in the Philippines.

Quiboloy and the others are facing charges for child abuse before a Quezon City court. He is also facing charges for qualified trafficking before a Pasig court.

Aside from his legal troubles in the Philippines, Quiboloy is also facing charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling in the United States.

Quiboloy, who is detained at Camp Crame, has filed his certificate of candidacy for senator in next year’s midterm elections. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News