US DOJ won't comment on Quiboloy extradition

The US Department of Justice on Tuesday said it would not comment on the reported US request for the extradition of Filipino religious leader and alleged child sex offender Apollo Quiboloy "until a defendant is in the United States."

GMA News Online asked the US DOJ to comment after Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed that Washington had sought Quiboloy's extradition in June. 

GMA News Online first broke the news based on interviews with senior Philippine government sources, who said the US transmitted to the Philippine Department of Justice documents on Washington's request to extradite Quiboloy.

"The US Department of Justice generally does not comment on extradition-related matters until a defendant is in the United States," a spokesman for the agency said without elaborating via email.

The US Embassy in Manila asked that media questions about the extradition be redirected to the DOJ in the U.S.

The US DOJ referred GMA News Online to its Nov. 18, 2021, press release on Quiboloy's indictment and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most-wanted poster on the Filipino pastor, who is currently detained in the Pasig City jail over local cases of alleged sexual and child abuse and human trafficking in the Philippines.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has refused to comment after he reportedly discussed with Romualdez last week the reported US extradition request. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs repeated Romualdez's statement that documents related to the US's request for Quiboloy's extradition were forwarded to the Justice Department and not to the DFA. 

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona told reporters: "The Department of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify that Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro did not receive the US extradition request for Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Apollo Quiboloy. As Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez stated, the documents were sent to the DOJ as early as June and not to the DFA."

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."

It also states, however, that "the Department of Justice of the United States of America and the Department of Justice of the Republic of the Philippines may consult with each other directly in connection with the processing of individual cases." –NB, GMA Integrated News