Department of Justice Spokesperson Mico Clavano said on Thursday, October 10, that the prosecutors might use the plea bargain made by a human resource manager of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) abroad in the cases against its leader, Apollo Quiboloy, in the Philippines.
Clavano said this in an interview with reporters after KOJC member Marissa Duenas reportedly admitted to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California that she and other KJC members who were American citizens committed marriage fraud from 2015 to 2022
Duenas said they made the alleged crime through “sham marriages,” one of the alleged schemes used by Quiboloy’s religious sect to maintain the US residency status of bogus spouses.
However, Clavano said that the plea bargain would not have any “official effect” on the cases in the Philippines unless it is formally presented in the country.
While the US government has not yet requested the extradition of the “appointed son of God,” Clavano pointed out that Quiboloy’s filing of a certificate of candidacy for senator, despite facing criminal charges in both the US and the Philippines, poses a challenge for both governments.
“Dahil nandyan na ‘yan, nasa media na ‘yan, syempre gagamitin na ‘yan ng ating mga prosecutor dahil alam na nila na inadmit na ng co-respodent ni Quiboloy sa ibang jurisdiction. I’m sure they will attempt also to do the same here,” Clavano said.
“There needs to be steps taken for us to introduce that evidence here in the Philippines as well. Hindi naman ho kasi ‘yan automatic na dahil ho nag plead guilty siya sa ibang jurisdiction ay nag plead guilty na rin siya dito sa Pilipinas,” Clavano added.
Quiboloy and his associates are currently facing child abuse charges in a Quezon City court, as well as qualified trafficking charges in a Pasig court.
In addition to his legal issues in the Philippines, Quiboloy is also facing charges in the United States for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion, as well as sex trafficking of minors, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District Court for the Central District of California in Santa Ana, the same district where Duenas entered her plea deal. A US court issued a warrant for his arrest on November 10, 2021.
The FBI stated that Quiboloy was involved in a “labor trafficking scheme” that brought Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) members to the United States using “fraudulently obtained visas.”
According to Clavano, someone accused of human trafficking cannot be a senator, especially when there is substantial evidence indicating that he or she is indeed doing such things.
“His filing of the certificate of candidacy for Senate is a dare to the government to act quickly, because if the time comes and he is elected as a senator, then he will have some sort of protection already,” Clavano said. (TCSP)
