Sex trafficking Celebrity 'son of God' pastor surrenders in Philippines after two-week manhunt

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/09/celebrity-son-of-god-pastor-surrenders-to-philippines-police-after-two-week-manhunt

Celebrity ‘son of God’ pastor surrenders in Philippines after two-week manhunt

Apollo Quiboloy, who is also wanted in US on child trafficking charges, surrenders to police after ultimatum

Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent
Mon 9 Sep 2024 06.35 EDT

An influential pastor wanted in the US on child trafficking charges has been arrested in the Philippines, after a 16-day manhunt across a vast compound that included a network of underground tunnels and dozens of buildings.

Apollo Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, who claims to be the “appointed son of God” and was a spiritual adviser of the former president Rodrigo Duterte, is facing various charges, including in the US where he is wanted over alleged trafficking of women and girls as young as 12.

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Quiboloy was indicted in the US in 2021 on charges including sex trafficking, including of children, and bulk cash smuggling. According to the FBI, he is wanted over his alleged participation in a labour trafficking scheme that brought church members to the US “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.

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After the US indictment in 2021, Quiboloy suggested the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was a punishment for his treatment, saying: “The Delta virus variant of Covid-19 is only an introduction. If you keep on hurting, persecuting, and harming the appointed son and the kingdom, you will see much worse than the Omicron variant.”

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