The US has requested the extradition of a Philippine celebrity pastor accused of sex trafficking and sexually abusing his followers, Philippine officials said on Thursday.
Apollo Quiboloy, 76, the self-styled 'Appointed Son of God' who founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, is on the 'most wanted' list of the FBI in the US, where he was charged with running a sex-trafficking operation that threatened young victims with 'eternal damnation' and physical abuse. Quiboloy has denied any wrongdoing.
Philippine ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez and Manila's foreign ministry said that a formal request for the extradition of Quiboloy has been transmitted to the Department of Justice.
Quiboloy's lawyer said they could not yet comment on the request since they had not received a formal notice.
Extradition is not immediate, as the Philippine justice ministry must first assess the U.S. request before filing a petition with a Philippine court, which then reviews the case.
Quiboloy is also facing several criminal charges in the Philippines, including sexually abusing a child. He was arrested at the KOJC's 30-hectare compound in the southern Philippine city of Davao in September 2024. He denies wrongdoing.
Quiboloy, a longtime friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where church leaders hold heavy sway in politics.
Quiboloy leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, which was founded in 1985 in southern Davao city and claims to have a wide following in the Philippines and abroad, including in the US.
In his heyday, Quiboloy was one of the most influential religious leaders in the Philippines and regarded as a political kingmaker. He served as spiritual adviser to the equally controversial Duterte, who took office in June 2016.
Quiboloy claims to be 'the appointed son of God' and has made outrageous claims that sparked questions about his character but endeared him to his followers.
He once claimed to have stopped a major earthquake from hitting the southern Philippines.
In 2024, Quiboloy went into hiding after a Philippine court ordered his arrest along with several others for alleged child and sexual abuse and human trafficking, police said.
The Philippine Senate separately ordered Quiboloy's arrest at the time for refusing to appear in public hearings about his alleged crimes.
The preacher denied the allegations, saying they were fabricated by critics and former members who were removed from his religious group. Quiboloy and four others facing accusations surrendered in September 2024 after about 2,000 police raided a 30-hectare (75-acre) compound of his religious group, which included a cathedral, stadium, hangar and taxiway leading to Davao's international airport. He has been jailed since then.
US federal prosecutors in 2021 separately announced an indictment of Quiboloy for allegedly having sex with women and underage girls who faced threats of abuse and 'eternal damnation' unless they catered to the self-proclaimed 'son of God.'
Quiboloy was among nine people named in a superseding indictment returned by a US federal grand jury and unsealed in November 2021.
It contained a raft of charges including conspiracy, sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, marriage fraud, money laundering, cash smuggling and visa fraud. After that indictment he was placed on the list of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.
Agencies