MANILA: The Philippines said on Sunday it had arrested a pastor wanted in the United States for child sex trafficking, two weeks into a massive police manhunt for the self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God”.

Apollo Quiboloy, who has close relations with former president Rodrigo Duterte, is the founder of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church that claims millions of members.

He was charged by the US Justice Department in 2021 with sex trafficking of girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals”, who were allegedly required to have sex with him.

“Apollo Quiboloy has been arrested,” Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos said on his official Facebook page. Quiboloy is also sought for cash smuggling and a scheme that brought church members to the US using fraudulently obtained visas.

They were then forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, raising funds that were instead used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders, according to the FBI.

It is not known if the US has sought extradition for Quiboloy, aged at least 74 according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. A US embassy spokesman referred media queries to the Philippine authorities.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024