Manila, Philippines - The US has formally requested the extradition of a Filipino pastor who is wanted on sex-trafficking charges, the Philippines' foreign affairs department confirmed on Thursday.
Apollo Quiboloy, a pastor and the founder of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ church (KOJC), was arrested in the Philippines in 2024 on serious human-trafficking charges.
The self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God" and ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte faces life in prison if found guilty in the case, which accuses him of using women and children to sell goods and raise funds.
Quiboloy, who pleaded not guilty shortly after his August 2024 arrest, has been held in a Manila jail ever since.
A US grand jury had indicted Quiboloy three years earlier for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.
The 2021 US indictment alleges girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 were recruited as personal assistants for Quiboloy to prepare his meals, clean his residence, give him massages, and have sex with him.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 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," spokeswoman Analyn Ratonel told the AFP in a text message.
Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines' ambassador to Washington, confirmed earlier a "formal request had been transmitted to the Department of Justice." The US embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
A spokesman for the Philippine justice department separately told reporters that it would be required to file "the appropriate petition before the court" after receiving the request.
"Ultimately, it is the court that determines whether the legal requirements for extradition have been met," he said.