Philippine court orders arrest of jailed, US-wanted celebrity preacher

A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy , who is wanted in the US on child sex trafficking charges, in a step towards his possible extradition, according to the country’s Justice Department.

The department’s spokesman Polo Martinez told the AFP news agency on Saturday that the Makati Regional Trial Court issued the warrant of arrest and a hold-departure on Thursday after finding probable cause that he committed the offences charged.

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The Philippine government filed its petition with a lower court on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested his extradition in August. Under Philippine law, the court must now hold hearings before deciding whether or not to hand him over.

The court issued the same orders against two co-accused, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, both officers of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) sect. The two women are still at large, according to local media reports.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, speaking on behalf of the Office of the President, denied that the warrant was timed to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s visit to Manila on November 17 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Copyright for this text belongs to Al Jazeera.