US seeks extradition of Filipino church leader accused of fraud, sex crimes

What the report says

The United States has asked the Philippines to extradite Filipino religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing US federal allegations including child sex trafficking and fraud, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press. Manila’s foreign affairs department said it received the request on Thursday and sent it on to the justice department. The extradition move comes while Quiboloy remains detained in the Philippines, where separate cases against him are still working through the courts.

Quiboloy is the founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, which was established in 1985 in Davao and has followers in the Philippines and abroad, including in the United States. He was arrested in 2024 on Philippine charges that include child and sexual abuse and human trafficking. The article says Philippine courts must approve any extradition, and that local criminal cases generally proceed before a suspect is surrendered to another country, though the treaty between Washington and Manila allows for temporary transfer in some circumstances.

US prosecutors indicted Quiboloy in 2021, alleging that women and underage girls were pressured into sex acts through threats and coercion. The filing also included claims tied to fraud, money laundering, visa fraud and related offenses. Quiboloy has denied the allegations. The case is significant because he has long been a prominent and politically connected figure in the Philippines, with ties to former president Rodrigo Duterte.