US Embassy says Quiboloy to 'face justice for heinous crimes' | ABS-CBN

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US Embassy says Quiboloy to 'face justice for heinous crimes'

US Embassy says Quiboloy to 'face justice for heinous crimes'

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

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Updated Feb 21, 2024 07:19 PM PHT

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Pastor Apollo Quiboloy during a pre-recorded TV interview of the Sonshine Media Network International in Davao City aired on March 12, 2022. Roemari Lismonero, Presidential Photo 

MANILA (UPDATE) — The US Embassy in the Philippines on Wednesday said it is confident that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy will face justice for his alleged crimes. 

The embassy issued the statement, after Quiboloy, who heads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) religious group said there was a conspiracy between the US and Philippine governments to have him “assassinated.”

“For more than a decade, Apollo Quiboloy engaged in serious human rights abuses, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, and he is currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted List,” said US Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay in a statement.

Quiboloy, who calls himself the "Appointed Son of God", is currently facing 43 counts of various charges in the US. 

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“We are confident that Quiboloy will face justice for his heinous crimes,” Gangopadhyay’s statement continued.

In a separate statement, House Speaker Martin Romualdez rejected Quiboloy's claims, saying they are "are unfounded and divert attention from the serious legal matters at hand."

He added that while he understands the pastor is in a tight situation, "it is important to clarify that the Philippine government and its officials, including myself and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., operate within the bounds of our constitution and laws." 

Romauldez — President Marcos Jr.'s cousin — also urged the public to be more discerning of information that they consume, and to "trust in the processes that uphold justice and democracy in our nation."


QUIBOLOY DISMISSES ALLEGATIONS


In a YouTube post, Quiboloy said he has 20 lawyers working on his defense. He also said that he and his legal team have been waiting since 2018 for the trial, but hearings have been postponed five times.

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Quiboloy also dismised allegations of rape and abuse leveled against him by several women who said they were former members of KJC.

The Davao-based religious leader claimed many women desire him because he is single and God made him rich.

He said the women were suffering "Potiphar's wife syndrome."

In the Book of Genesis, Joseph, son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his brothers and ends up in the household of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. In the story, Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of raping her after he refused her sexual advances.

The accusation landed Joseph in prison. — with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

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