Philippine court orders arrest of jailed, US-wanted preacher Apollo Quiboloy

A court in Makati, in the Philippines, has issued a warrant of arrest for Apollo Quiboloy, a preacher who is already in custody and wanted in the United States. The court also issued a hold-departure order, which bars a person from leaving the country. According to Al Jazeera, the Makati Regional Trial Court acted after finding probable cause, meaning it judged there were sufficient grounds to proceed.

The same orders were issued against Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, who are officers of Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect.

Quiboloy is being held without bail while on trial in Pasig for human trafficking. He also faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City.

The US case dates to 2021, when a US grand jury, a panel of citizens that decides whether there is enough evidence to bring charges, indicted him. The indictment accused him of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling, meaning moving large sums of cash illegally.

Washington formally requested his extradition, the process of transferring a person to another country to face charges, in August. On Monday, the Philippine government filed its extradition petition, a formal application asking a lower court to approve the transfer. That filing came three months after the US request.

Quiboloy is a close ally of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Last year he ran for the Philippine Senate from prison, received 5.6 million votes and lost.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Manila on November 17 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, a regional meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. Claire Castro, the Palace press officer, speaking for the presidential palace, denied that the timing of the arrest warrant was linked to Trump's visit.