The United States is seeking the extradition of Filipino religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing several charges, including child sex trafficking, engaging in sex with minors, fraud, and money laundering in the US.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said the US request to extradite Quiboloy to the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) last June

Quiboloy, indicted by a US federal grand jury in 2021, landed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list, which identified the charges against him, such as conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.

“The US is seriously seeking the extradition request and taking the necessary steps with the Philippine government in bringing him to justice,” Report said.

“Malacañang is also aware of the US extradition request,” report added.

An extradition treaty signed in 1994 by Manila and Washington states that “all requests for extradition shall be submitted through the diplomatic channel” and “shall be supported by documents, statements, or other types of information which describe the identity and probable location of the person sought.”

The Philippines is mandated under the treaty to promptly notify the US through the diplomatic channel of its decision on the extradition request.

If the extradition request is granted, “the authorities of the contracting parties shall agree on the time and place for the surrender of the person sought,” the agreement said.

The DOJ and the US Embassy in Manila has yet issued their respective comment on the matter.

Under the extradition treaty, the requesting state should provide a statement of the facts of the offense and the procedural history of the case; a statement of the provisions of the law describing the essential elements of the offense for which extradition is requested; and a statement of the provisions of law describing the punishment for the offense.

Probable cause for the arrest should also be provided as well as committal for trial if the offense had been committed there; a copy of the warrant or order of arrest issued by a judge or other competent authority; and a copy of the charging document.

Extradition shall not be granted if the offense for which extradition is requested is a political offense, politically motivated, a military offense or punishable by death under the laws in the requesting state.

Extradition will also be denied when the person sought has been tried and convicted or acquitted in the requested state for the offense for which extradition is requested.

If the request is denied in whole or in part, the Philippine government should “provide information as to the reasons for the denial.

Quiboloy, 75, is the founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church based in Davao City.

Quiboloy, also facing allegations of sexual and child abuse and human trafficking in the Philippines, surrendered to authorities in September 2024 after weeks of hiding as massive police and military force was deployed to hunt him down in his religious group’s sprawling compound in Davao, where hundreds of his supporters tried to block his arrest. He is currently detained at the Pasig City jail.

In 2021, US federal prosecutors said Quiboloy allegedly coerced women and underage girls into sex “under the threat of physical and verbal abuse and eternal damnation.”

They were told that performing “night duty” was “God’s will” and “a privilege,” as well as “a necessary demonstration” of their commitment to give their body to Quiboloy as “The Appointed Son of God.’”

The indictment also included two other male administrators of KOJC in the US and outlined the group’s nationwide soliciting operations, which allegedly gave rise to additional criminal conduct, including forced labor, labor trafficking, document servitude, marriage fraud and money laundering.