Quiboloy counsel: Let PH courts act before deciding on US extradition

MANILA, Philippines — The legal counsel of detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy on Thursday urged the Philippine government to exercise its sovereign right to try his client’s cases domestically before considering any transfer to the United States.

Lawyer Israelito Torreon said his team had not yet received an official document confirming an extradition request for Quiboloy, who is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of sex trafficking and bulk cash smuggling, to the US.

If such a request exists, Torreon said, they respect the US government's prerogative to pursue it under the extradition treaty between Washington and Manila.

However, he cited Article 11 of the treaty, which grants the requested state — in this case, the Philippines — discretion over whether to extradite Quiboloy, already facing cases in the country.

Article 11 of the treaty specifically states: “If the extradition request is granted in the case of a person who is being prosecuted or is serving a sentence in the territory of the Requested State, the Requested State may temporarily surrender the person sought to the Requesting State for the purpose of prosecution.”

“The person so surrendered shall be kept in custody in the Requesting State and shall be returned to the Requested State after the conclusion of the proceedings against that person, in accordance with conditions to be determined by agreement between the Contracting Parties,” the document reads.

Hence, Torreon said: “We can only manifest our sincerest hope that the Philippine Government would exercise its sovereign option to allow the Philippine courts to fully exercise their jurisdiction over Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s case before it decides to transfer Pastor ACQ to the US.”

He acknowledged that under Article 9 of the treaty, the US may request the provisional arrest of Quiboloy.

But Torreon argued that such a request may not be necessary, citing a lack of “urgency” given that Quiboloy remains detained at the Pasig City Jail, awaiting the resolution of his motion for reconsideration on the denial of his bail petition.

The lawyer made the statement after Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the United States, confirmed on Wednesday that the US is seeking to extradite Quiboloy.

READ: PH envoy: US seeking Quiboloy extradition

However, both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said they have not yet received the documents.

In a message to reporters, DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano IV said that under the regular process, extradition requests must first be routed through the DFA before being formally endorsed to the DOJ.

“In this case, DFA has not received any request. The DOJ could not have officially received the request as well. Verily, no extradition request on this has yet been transmitted to the DOJ,” Clavano said.

The DFA also clarified that Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro has not received the US extradition request for Quiboloy.

“As Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez stated, the documents were sent to the DOJ as early as June and not to DFA,” the agency said early Thursday morning.

Quiboloy, founder of the Philippine-based church Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is facing separate criminal charges of human trafficking before a Pasig City court and sexual abuse before a Quezon City court.

He was indicted by a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Central District of California for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.

In 2021, a federal warrant for his arrest was issued. /jpv/abc

(2025/08/21-10:34)

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