The US Embassy insisted Monday that Apollo Quiboloy’s “Most Wanter” posted released by the FBI has no connection with the upcoming 2022 elections.
“The FBI’s release of a wanted poster for Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy follows a multi-year effort by law enforcement. It is unrelated to the Philippines’ ongoing presidential election campaign,” the embassy said in a statement.
The FBI released the “most wanted” posters for Quiboloy and two fellow KJC members, Helen Panilag and Teresita Tolibas Dandan.
The self-appointed “Son of God” is “wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders,” the FBI said.
“Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round,” it added.
US Embassy: FBI wanted poster for Quiboloy not politically motivated
“Furthermore, it is alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or ‘pastorals,’ for Quiboloy and that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called ‘night duty,'” the FBI added.
The FBI said “Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for 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 bulk cash smuggling.”
Based on the FBI poster, the hearing of the cases against Quiboloy in America is scheduled for March 2023.
Earlier, Quiboloy’s camp insisted the allegations against him were “politically motivated” in their media appearance on Sunday.
“We all have to be in a state of abject denial to say that the United States has not been interfering with our elections since as far as we can remember,” said Ferdie Topacio.
Quiboloy’s lawyer in the United States, Michael Green, said the accusers were lying.
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