MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun scrutinizing the United States’ formal bid to extradite Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and two other respondents, with prosecutors determining whether the request clears treaty requirements before the case can be brought to a Philippine court.
Chief State Prosecutor Dennis Arvin Chan confirmed that the DOJ has received the extradition request and is now evaluating whether it complies with the Philippines-US Extradition Treaty.
In 2021, a US federal grand jury indicted Quiboloy, along with several of his associates, on charges including sex trafficking, fraud, coercion and money laundering.
The DOJ is a crucial first step before the government can file an extradition petition with a Regional Trial Court (RTC), which will ultimately decide whether Quiboloy and the two other respondents may be surrendered to US authorities.
Among the issues the DOJ must establish is whether the person sought by the United States is the same Quiboloy currently in the Philippines.
Prosecutors must also determine whether the offenses cited in the US request satisfy the principle of dual criminality, which generally requires that the acts involved constitute crimes in both countries.
The DOJ must likewise secure assurances that the death penalty will not be imposed should the respondents be convicted in the United States.
According to Chan, the department has two options under the extradition treaty: it may immediately file an extradition petition and allow the courts to resolve the case, or defer the petition until the criminal cases against Quiboloy in the Philippines have been concluded.
The RTC that eventually handles the petition will determine whether the legal requirements for extradition have been satisfied and whether Quiboloy and his co-respondents should be turned over to US authorities.
Chan said the DOJ intends to expedite its review because of the strong public interest surrounding the case.
The department is optimistic that the extradition request will be granted if the United States satisfies all requirements under the treaty.
The DOJ also expects the extradition proceedings to take months rather than years once the process moves forward./PN
