MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sought for a hold departure order (HDO) against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to ensure that he will not evade prosecution.
Two local courts in Davao City and Pasig City have issued separate warrant of arrests against Quiboloy for alleged human trafficking and violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law (Republic Act No. 7610).
According to DOJ assistant secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV, prosecutors in the cases against Quiboloy have asked the courts to issue an HDO against him to prevent him from fleeing the Philippines.
“These are normal legal processes that the prosecutors are very used to,” Clavano said in a press conference.
He added: “Once you have a respondent or an accused that is a flight risk, especially given the resources that this person has, then the prosecutors are very diligent in making sure that the accused (won’t be able) to leave the country without facing the allegations in the proper forum.”
Quiboloy’s child abuse case has a recommended bail of P180,000 for sexual assault and P80,000 for maltreatment, while the qualified trafficking is a nonbailable offense.
An HDO is a directive issued by a court to prevent a person facing criminal charges from leaving the country and ensure that the individual remains in the country to face the legal process.
A court may issue an HDO upon the request of the prosecution, which should present sufficient evidence to justify the need for one./PN
