The United States would rather wait for the Philippine government to make its move than issue a statement over the supposed extradition of televangelist fugitive Apollo Quiboloy who has been arrested in Davao City after weeks of hiding.
According to US Department of Justice spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman, it is the policy of the department not to comment on extradition matters until they have the custody of the accused – in this case, Quiboloy who is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list due to multiple cases in the US District Court for the Central District of California.
“As a matter of policy, the U.S. Department of Justice generally does not comment on extradition-related matters until a defendant is in the United States,”Oxman was quoted in a story that appeared in the GMA Integrated News portal.
Quiboloy is facing a string of charges in the US. Among the charges filed against him include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
Aside from Quiboloy, two other co-accused – Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, have remained at-large. Others included in Quiboloy’s cases are Felina Salinas, Guia Cabactulan, Marissa Duenas, Amanda Estopare, Bettina Padilla Roces, and Maria De Leon, who was previously arrested by the FBI in the United States.
Maria De Leon reached a plea agreement with the US District Attorney’s Office, agreeing to disclose everything she knows about KOJC’s visa fraud operations in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The sentencing for De Leon is scheduled for January 27 next year, while the trial for Quiboloy’s case is set for May 20, 2025.
In November 2021, US prosecutors indicted Quiboloy and others for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation that threatened victims as young as 12 with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse.
The US court issued a warrant for his arrest on November 10, 2021.
Quiboloy was forced to surrender to officials of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in Davao City after he was given a 24-hour ultimatum. He is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Facility in Camp Crame.
Quiboloy was arrested because of arrest warrants for alleged violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act as well as qualified human trafficking. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
