“Quiboloy’s lawyers should get to work.”
If I were the lawyer of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, it would be better to simply keep quiet rather than speculate in public about the timing behind the filing of charges against their client. They have to remember that their client, regardless of the gravity of the Federal Bureau of Investigation charges, is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, whether here or in the United States. What they should do is concentrate on their legal preparation so that they will be ready to fight the case in court.
Nowhere in the press releases picked up by our local media about the case made any mention of the close connection between Pastor Quiboloy and President Duterte. Neither was there any reference about the candidacy of the presidential daughter and that of Former Senator Bongbong Marcos. Yet, the lawyers are trying to theorize connecting the charges against Pastor Quiboloy with the presidential family and the coming elections in May which is clearly not the case.
Besides, since Pastor Quiboloy is here in the country, this case will have to undergo extradition proceedings which we all know can take years and the United States has not yet even made any request. The lawyers must remember that this case has to be won in a court of law and not in the court of public opinion. They must further bear in mind that the charges against their client are quite serious. Some of the charges are transnational crimes like money laundering, bulk cash smuggling and trafficking in minors for the purpose of sex. The illegal transport of people from one country to another using illegal visas is another.
It might interest the Pastor Quiboloy legal team to know that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is thorough in preparing cases. The fact that there was already an indictment and warrants have been issued may mean that the FBI has most of the evidence it wants. Whatever investigation that is still going is probably just tying loose ends.
The feds also have a long arm. More often than not, they will eventually get their man.
One practice that the Pastor Quiboloy legal team should also know is that the feds have that nasty habit of pressuring one of the accused to turn as state witness in order to secure a conviction of a bigger fish. I would think that Pastor Quiboloy’s US lawyers are very much aware of all these and will prepare accordingly. One step that can be taken here is for a case to be filed against the Pastor so that while the case is being tried, the extradition proceedings will have to be suspended. Since we know that cases here can take forever, the Pastor can stay here for a very long time.
At the moment, the safest place for Pastor Quiboloy is to remain here and not travel to any country with extradition agreement with the United States. The request of Gabriela Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas for a hold departure order for the Pastor is therefore, quite unnecessary. I am almost certain that for the moment, Pastor Quiboloy will not be venturing out of the country.
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The case of Pastor Quiboloy in the US is not unique. There have been many cases filed against very prominent evangelists with some of them ending up spending time in jail. The fall from grace of these evangelists was mostly due to the siphoning of money donated for religious purposes to finance lavish lifestyles. Sex scandals is also another reason. Some of the names that come to mind are Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert and Ted Haggard. Jim Bakker was a popular evangelist in the 1980s who had his own TV show and could interview just anybody he wanted. His downfall was because of accusations that he siphoned money intended for his ministry to finance his expensive lifestyle. One of his lady assistants also charged him with sexual impropriety and he had an acrimonious split from his wife. He went to jail and never recovered his prominence. He hit the news again during this pandemic when he was cited for marketing a bogus tonic that is supposed to cure COVID-19.
Jimmy Swaggert is another who was defrocked in 1988 after a sex scandal involving a prostitute. He is still an independent evangelist but no longer as big. Ted Haggard was another evangelist known for his anti-gay sermons until caught employing the services of a male escort.
The case of Pastor Quiboloy is a little different in the sense that there are multiple charges. One action that the lawyers should have done was question the necessity of the wanted posters which seems to be an overkill considering that everyone knows the whereabouts of Pastor Quiboloy.
