U.S. gov’t accuses Apollo Quiboloy of ‘pervasive rape’ of young girls

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning a diverse array of over 40 individuals and entities that are connected to corruption or human rights abuse across nine countries.  The announcement was made in recognition of International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day on December 9.

One of the individuals the Treasury has labeled a “human rights abuser” and “corrupt actor” was Apollo Quiboloy, founder of The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC) church in the Philippines.

“For more than a decade, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy engaged in serious human rights abuse, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, as well as other physical abuse,” says the Treasury in a press statement.

In 2021, a federal indictment alleged Quiboloy was involved in sex trafficking “pastorals” — young women within the KOJC selected to work as personal assistants for Quiboloy. Pastorals were directed to have “night duty,” which required them to have sexual intercourse with Quiboloy on a determined schedule. Quiboloy kept pastorals in various countries, including the Philippines and the United States, it says.

Quiboloy founded the KOJC church in the Philippines in 1985.

According to the press statement, “Quiboloy exploited his role within the KOJC to rape his victims and subject them to other physical abuse, describing these acts as sacrifices required by the Bible and by God for the victims’ salvation. The pastorals, who were mostly minors when initially abused by Quiboloy, were told by him to “offer your body as a living sacrifice.” One female reported she lost count of the number of times she was forced to have sex with Quiboloy, as it was at least once a week even when she was a minor and in every country to which they traveled. Another woman reported she was forced to perform night duty at least 1,000 times.

“Quiboloy also subjected pastorals and other KOJC members to other forms of physical abuse. Reports indicate Quiboloy personally beat victims and knew where to hit them so there would be no visible bruising. Pastorals and KOJC members who angered Quiboloy were at times sent to ‘Upper Six,’ a walled compound used solely for punishment.

“Quiboloy is designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being a foreign person who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse. Quiboloy is currently on the FBI’s Wanted List.”

The pastor  has denied all charges, calling them “outrageous” and a violation of his rights. Former supporters and followers are calling on the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to assist in bringing Quiboloy to justice, and are dismayed by its silence. During the elections, Quiboloy appeared on stage and raised the hand of then-vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte and campaigned  for the Marcos-Duterte ticket.

Over the course of 2022, Treasury took numerous actions to promote accountability for human rights abusers and corrupt actors across the world, including sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities including in the Western Balkans, Belarus, Liberia, Guatemala, the Russian Federation, Burma, and Iran. Treasury utilized various tools and authorities — including Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act — to demonstrate the U.S. government’s focus on promoting respect for human rights and countering corruption.

Aside from Quiboloy, also in the Treasury list of “corrupt actors and human rights abusers” are politicians, businessmen and prominent personalities from, among other countries, DPRK/North Korea, Guatemala,  Iran, the Russian Federation, and China.

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© The FilAm 2022



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