Key facts
- The U.S. has formally requested the extradition of Filipino church leader Apollo Carreon Quiboloy.
- Quiboloy faces U.S. charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, and conspiracy.
- He is also facing local charges in the Philippines for human trafficking and child abuse.
- Quiboloy denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
- The extradition process requires review by the Philippine justice ministry and a Philippine court.
The United States has formally requested the extradition of Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, a prominent Filipino church leader and former spiritual adviser to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, to face trial in the U.S. on charges including child sex trafficking and fraud. The request was sent to the Philippine Department of Justice in July.
Quiboloy, 76, leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, founded in 1985. He claims to be the "appointed son of God" and has made numerous controversial statements. In 2024, he went into hiding after a Philippine court ordered his arrest for alleged human trafficking and child abuse. He was subsequently arrested in September after a large police raid on his religious group's compound and has been detained since then.
U.S. federal prosecutors had previously indicted Quiboloy in 2021 on charges including conspiracy, sex trafficking of children, fraud, coercion, marriage fraud, and money laundering. Following this indictment, he was placed on the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives list.
Under the 1994 extradition treaty between Washington and Manila, Philippine justice officials can request a domestic court to allow the temporary surrender of a suspect to a foreign court for trial, even before their local cases are resolved.