US Requests Filipino Pastor's Extradition in Trafficking Case

The United States (US) has formally requested the extradition of Filipino pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing sex-trafficking charges, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Thursday.

Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church and a former ally of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested in the Philippines in 2024 over human-trafficking allegations.

The US request has been forwarded to the Philippine Department of Justice, which will begin the legal process to determine whether the extradition requirements have been met.

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“The Department of Foreign Affairs confirms it has received the United States Government’s request for the extradition of Apollo Quiboloy. The DFA has endorsed the request to the Department of Justice,” DFA spokeswoman Analyn Ratonel told AFP.

Quiboloy is wanted in the US over allegations including sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.

Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Credit: Phinagana.

A US grand jury indictment filed in 2021 alleges that girls and women aged between 12 and 25 were recruited as personal assistants and forced into exploitative activities linked to the pastor and his church.

Quiboloy, who has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty after his August 2024 arrest, has remained in a Manila jail while facing charges in the Philippines.

A Philippine justice department spokesman said authorities would file the necessary petition before the court, adding that the final decision would rest with the judiciary.

“Ultimately, it is the court that determines whether the legal requirements for extradition have been met,” he said.

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Despite his detention, Quiboloy was allowed to contest the 2025 Philippine Senate elections, where he received more than 5.6 million votes.

The pastor’s church, which claims millions of followers in the Philippines and operates a television network, has defended him, saying members have “freedom of choice.”

The extradition request marks a new legal step in the long-running case involving one of the Philippines’ most influential religious figures.

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