A famous pastor who calls himself the “Designated Son of God” has pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges, including sexual abuse of a minor and sex trafficking.
Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ Party (KOJC) with six million followers, was arrested on Sunday at the KOJC’s 30-hectare compound in the southern city of Davao following a weeks-long police operation.
The 74-year-old man was led into the heavily guarded Pasig court in handcuffs, a bulletproof helmet and bulletproof vest this morning as Philippine police are concerned about a possible assassination attempt.
He told his followers to stay strong before police led him into the courtroom along with several of his alleged accomplices.
A tip-off from a whistleblower helped police arrest the preacher at his compound where he is believed to have been holding women and children captive as sex slaves.
He is accused of heinous crimes and is charged in the United States with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children, among a litany of other alleged crimes.
Quiboloy (pictured) has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges against him and his religious group.
Filipino televangelist Apollo Quiboloy (C) arrives at a court for his scheduled appearance in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
The 74-year-old man was taken to the heavily guarded Pasig courthouse in handcuffs, wearing a bulletproof helmet and bulletproof vest this morning.
Some of Quiboloy’s acolytes are led to court with him.
Quiboloy turned himself in on Sunday at his vast religious complex in the south in an operation involving more than 2,000 police officers.
The self-proclaimed “Son of God” will be He will remain in custody for now at a police station, police said, along with several of his acolytes.
“He is innocent,” his lawyer, Israelito Torreón, told reporters after his client’s initial arraignment today.
Quiboloy also pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse charges in a Quezon City court via teleconference.
But police said more people came forward alleging he had sexually abused them almost immediately after his arrest.
“We firmly believe that the truth about the alleged criminal acts of Apollo C. Quiboloy and his co-defendants will finally be revealed,” Joahna Paula Domingo, co-counsel for one of the alleged victims, said in a statement.
“These cases were filed in 2019 and we have been seeking justice for the plaintiff ever since,” he said.
In a statement released by KOJC before Quiboloy’s prosecution, the church said its “cardinal rule” was that members “are not forced to do anything against their will.”
Quibolo faces similar charges in the United States, where he has been placed on the FBI’s most wanted list.
The United States was expected to request the extradition of Quiboloy and his co-defendants at some point, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said they must first face justice in the Philippines.
Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “designated son of God,” is on the FBI’s most wanted list
From above: The Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City, Philippines
Quiboloy launched the KOJC after returning from “an exile in Tamayong,” proclaiming that he had been guided by God through dreams on the slopes of Mount Matutum to found his church in the late 1990s.
Since then, he has attracted a large and fervent following across the country, earning him the loyalty of several politicians and state officials.
Rodrigo Duterte, the populist former president, saw the value of Quiboloy’s support when he ran for mayor in 1988 and sought his attention.
Quiboloy maintained a well-groomed public persona, appearing in national press interviews and greeting supporters on the streets of Davao for decades until 2021.
But American interest in Quiboloy’s alleged shady dealings in the United States drew international attention to the preacher.
A federal grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and large amounts of money smuggling.
In November 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.
The FBI named Quiboloy among the most wanted for his alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that “brought church members to the United States through fraudulently obtained visas and forced members to solicit donations for a fake charity that were used to fund the church’s operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.”
Those who managed to apply for these “fake” donations were allegedly “forced into sham marriages” or obtained fraudulent visas to continue working in the United States throughout the year.
The FBI also cites allegations that women were recruited to work as personal or “pastoral” assistants, preparing meals for Quiboloy, cleaning his homes, giving him massages and having sex with him in what they called “night services.”
Victims also allegedly faced threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” unless they served the self-proclaimed “son of God.”
The church says the pastor (center) is being persecuted because “the devil… will try to eliminate a good man… who gives his life for his fellow men, who are oppressed by evil, at any price.”
Disturbing images show a room still filled with personal belongings in the underground bunker
Some rooms are equipped with bunk beds, while others are designated as single rooms.
Supporters of religious leader Apolo Quiboloy organize a protest rally in front of the complex
The Philippine police received additional help from a woman named ‘Amanda’, a whistleblower and former KOJC ‘full-time miracle worker’, who testified that she was one of many women detained after being forced into a sexual relationship with Quiboloy ‘at a young age’.
The Daily Tribune, a local outlet that has been following the case closely, reported that this was presented to the victims as a “special privilege” for a select few.
On August 24, the Philippine National Police (PNP) raided a 75-acre compound in Davao City associated with the KOJC in search of Quiboloy.
The complex reportedly covers three levels, with two reserved for the “most attractive” women Quiboloy kept as “offerings” and a third apparently used to confine other women, the report said. Grandstand.
Disturbing video showed police searching the filthy, unlit lower floors, empty but still showing signs of life, as dirty laundry lay strewn across large, open rooms filled with what appeared to be rows of low wooden beds.
Other floors looked more like hotel hallways, some with individual rooms containing neatly made single beds, potted plants and posters as decoration, others were more sparsely decorated and featured multiple bunk beds or double beds and couches.