US seeks extradition of Phillipine televangelist Apollo Quiboloy: Ambassador Romualdez
MANILA: The United States government is seeking the extradition of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.
In a text message to the Inquirer, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel 'Babe' Romualdez confirmed that the US government sent documents pertaining to Quiboloy's extradition to the Department of Justice.
'I'm confirming documents sent to [the] DOJ,' Romualdez said.
'Documents pertaining to the extradition request [were] sent to the DOJ,' he added.
According to Romualdez, the US government has been seeking Quiboloy's extradition since June.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter, referring media queries to the DOJ instead.
Quiboloy, founder of the Philippines-based church Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is wanted for his alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas.
Members were allegedly forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity. The funds were reportedly used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said members who successfully solicited donations were allegedly compelled to enter sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue fundraising in the US year-round.
Female members of Quiboloy's church were also reportedly recruited to work as personal assistants, or 'pastorals,' for Quiboloy.
Victims were tasked with preparing his meals, cleaning his residences, giving him massages, and, allegedly, performing sexual acts with Quiboloy during what the pastorals called 'night duty.'
Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, on charges including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for him on November 10, 2021.
He is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail, having been arrested at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City after months of hiding. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Climate warning from The Hague
AN historic climate ruling by the world's highest court last month could make it legally riskier for fossil fuel companies to do business and embolden lawsuits against oil and gas expansion, experts say. The International Court of Justice's first-ever advisory opinion on climate change contained a particularly strong position on fossil fuels that surprised even veteran observers of environmental law. The Hague-based court declared that states had an obligation under international law to address the 'urgent and existential threat' of climate change, a decision hailed as a milestone by small islands most at risk. The unanimous decision went further than expected, with the court spelling out what responsibility states have to protect the climate from planet-warming emissions from burning fossil fuels. Failing to prevent this harm 'including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies – may constitute an internationally wrongful act' by that state, the court added. 'It's really significant,' said Sophie Marjanac, an international climate lawyer and director of legal strategy at the Polluter Pays Project, a campaign group. 'It goes further than I expected, and it really makes some pretty groundbreaking findings,' she said. Vanuatu's Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu (centre) giving a speech ahead of the ICJ's ruling. (Below) Director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, Vishal Prasad (second from right), speaking to the media after the ICJ session. — AFP ICJ advisory opinions are not legally enforceable, but such opinions are rare, and seen as highly authoritative in steering national courts, legislation and corporate behaviour around the globe. Jorge Vinuales, who helped draft the request for the court's opinion, said the fossil fuels language in the final opinion 'went as far as one could expect the court to go, which is no small feat'. He said this interpretation of liability for climate harm would probably be picked up in domestic and global courtrooms. 'If so, it could have far-reaching effects,' said Vinuales, a professor of law and environmental policy at the University of Cambridge. Its opinion could be used in a lawsuit against expanding a coal mine, a private dispute between an investor and a state, or a contract negotiation involving a fossil fuel financier, said Marjanac. 'It could come up in all sorts of ways, all over the place. The influence is unlimited, really,' she said. This could particularly be the case in countries that can adopt international law directly into their constitutions and legal frameworks, though this would depend on national context and take time. Even in so-called 'dualist states' where international law is not automatically incorporated, constitutional courts and other legislatures often respect and adopt aspects of ICJ opinion, experts said. The court also 'provided stricter measures surrounding the business of fossil fuels' and underscores that governments cannot avoid blame for polluting companies within their jurisdiction, said Joy Reyes from the London School of Economics. 'Countries will have to be more circumspect when it comes to licensing permits and broader policies around fossil fuels, because it may open them up to liability in the future,' said Reyes, a climate litigation specialist. It could also empower smaller states to pursue compensation from big polluters, and give countries threatened with legal action by fossil fuel companies a stronger line of defence. And it could be harder now for oil and gas companies 'to claim they have a legitimate expectation to be able to operate a fossil fuel project without impediment,' said Lorenzo Cotula, an international legal expert. 'It's now clear that states have a legal duty to take action in this space, and if they're able to articulate this in possible proceedings, I think that will be a strong legal argument to make,' said Cotula, from research institute IIED. — AFP
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
India makes a caveated pledge to continue buying Russian oil
NEW DELHI: India pledged - with a caveat - to keep buying Russian oil, a step that would preserve a vital market for Moscow's barrels. Purchases will continue "depending on the financial benefit,' Vinay Kumar, India's ambassador in Moscow, said in an interview with Russia's Izvestia newspaper. "India buys what is best for itself,' he added. While it's not an outright pledge that the South Asian nation will keep Russian oil purchases steady if higher US tariffs kick in next week, it's the latest example of how souring relations between India and the US have pushed New Delhi closer to Moscow. India has ramped up oil imports from Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, when Group of Seven nations imposed a $60-per-barrel price cap on Moscow's crude that aimed to limit the Kremlin's energy revenue. The Trump administration sees those purchases as helping fund Russia's war, with the US president threatening to raise India's tariffs to 50% on Aug. 27, among the highest on any country's products. India accounts for 37% of Russia's oil exports, according to Moscow-based Kasatkin Consulting. Russia expects India's imports of its crude to remain at current levels, as Moscow sells oil to India at about a 5% discount, leaving Asia's third-largest economy with few alternatives, Evgeny Griva, Russia's deputy trade representative in India, said on Wednesday. India's state refiners have resumed buying Russian Urals after a brief pause earlier this month. Moscow will continue to supply crude, petroleum products and coal to India and sees potential to export liquefied natural gas, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said Wednesday (Aug 20) at a meeting with Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Federal Oil Secretary Pankaj Jain. Jaishankar said the two countries must remove trade bottlenecks and reduce non-tariff barriers to reach the goal of increasing their annual trade by about 50% over the next five years to reach $100 billion. He met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday. "We have good results in cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector, in the supply of Russian oil to the Indian market, and we have a mutual interest in implementing joint projects to extract energy resources,' including in Russia's Far East and Arctic waters, Lavrov said at a joint press conference. "In general, the economic base of our especially privileged strategic partnership is strengthening steadily and progressively.' Russia is India's fourth-largest trading partner, while India is Russia's second-largest. - Bloomberg
Sinar Daily
15 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
PSM rules out joining Muhyiddin's loose coalition, cites discomfort with ethnic politics
The decision was made after internal discussions, with members concluding the coalition did not align with the party's principles. By NUR ADNIN MAHALIM 21 Aug 2025 05:56pm Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced a new loose coalition comprising 11 Opposition parties. SHAH ALAM – Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has confirmed it will not join the opposition coalition announced by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, citing discomfort with the ethnic-based politics practised by many of the parties involved. PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said the decision was made after internal discussions, with members concluding the coalition did not align with the party's principles. 'In that coalition Muhyiddin put together, many of the parties play on ethnic issues. Whether Malay-based or Indian-based, they rely on such politics. We feel very uncomfortable being in a coalition that does that,' he told English news portal FMT on Monday. He stressed that joining a coalition is not on PSM's agenda for now. 'The party's general membership has decided we should not join any coalition unless they reform their ways,' he said. PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj. - Photo: Parti Sosialis Malaysia On PSM's past electoral pact with Muda, Jeyakumar said the party would hold discussions with the youth-led movement to understand its decision to work with Muhyiddin's bloc. Muhyiddin announced the coalition on Aug 18, saying it aimed to hold the government accountable and pressure Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to deliver on reform pledges. The coalition now involves 11 opposition parties: Bersatu, Pas, Gerakan, Pejuang, Muda, the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP), Putra, Berjasa, Urimai, the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman). However, both PSM and Muda have since clarified they are not part of the bloc. A Malay Mail report on July 19 noted that PSM had previously insisted any coalition decision must be approved by its Congress under the principle of Democratic Centralism. Meanwhile, Muda previously said it would only cooperate with parties that share its values. For the record, Muhyiddin said the coalition would focus on issues such as the rising cost of living, the expansion of the Sales and Services Tax (SST) and what it viewed as shortcomings in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP). Public reaction has been mixed, with some questioning whether such a diverse bloc can last without a clear direction.
