No extradition request yet from US for Quiboloy — DFA

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not yet received any request from the United States government to extradite televangelist Apollo Quiboloy who is wanted in the US for alleged sex trafficking.

The US' Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2022 placed Quiboloy, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader, in its wanted list. He was indicted in November 2021 by a federal grand jury US district court in California for «conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.»

Quiboloy on Wednesday attended, upon orders from the Pasig and Quezon City courts, the Senate inquiry on his alleged abuses against some KoJC members. Several of his alleged victims--mostly women-- faced him, personally and through online, during the public hearing.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo reported to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairman of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, that as of October 23, the DFA «has not received a formal extradition request from the United States.»

«On the other issue I want to focus on the request by any Filipino nationals in the United States who may have been victims of human trafficking in relation to this case. As of this date none of our foreign service posts in the United States have reported receiving [any] request for assistance,» he said.

«The DFA is ready to assist in providing any information that we may receive from this date relevant to today's legislative inquiry. I'm also joined today by UndersecretaryJesus Domingo who can add any input needed for this morning,» Manalo added.

Domingo said, «We have also not received any request [for assistance] with respect to [victims of] human trafficking. But all our foreign service posts and all our offices in the Department of Foreign Affairs stand ready and we have been in informal consultations with our sister agencies in government.»

«if we do receive a formal request [for extradition from the US] the DFA will study it and see if it is consistent with the agreed procedure pertaining to extradition. And so we would have to study that,» Domingo said.

«And then after we are satisfied with the request we will of