Apollo Quiboloy (Photo from DILG Sec. Abalos’ FACEBOOK page)
MANILA, Philippines — A complaint of obstruction of justice will be filed against individuals suspected of harboring captured alleged rapist Apollo Quiboloy, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said on Sunday they launched an investigation to hold accountable those persons who aided the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder.
READ: Apollo Quiboloy’s ‘angels of death’ are armed men – police
“We will not tolerate any form of obstruction of justice. Our investigation aims to identify those who knowingly provided refuge to Quiboloy, and we will ensure they face appropriate legal consequences,” Marbil said in a statement.
“Obstruction of justice is a serious offense, and those who aided in shielding Quiboloy from law enforcement will be charged accordingly. The law is clear — no one is above it, and those who helped Quiboloy will be held accountable,” he added.
The preacher was captured on September 8.
Before that, he had been in hiding for almost 6 months since the warrant of arrest against him was issued on April 3.
Marbil said Quiboloy could not have evaded arrest for a long time without the help of his close associates and legal representatives, whom he said helped the sect leader by “misleading authorities regarding his whereabouts.”
The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will facilitate the case build-up and gather pieces of evidence relevant to the case.
On August 24, some 2,000 PNP members served the arrest warrant of Quiboloy at the KJC compound in Davao City.
Quiboloy and four of his subordinates Jackielyn Roy, Ingrid Canada, Cresente Canada and Sylvia Cemanes surrendered after they were given a 24-hour ultimatum.
Quiboloy is detained in the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
The other respondents, who were also previously in the custodial center, have been transferred to Pasig City Jail last Friday.
One of the suspects, Paulene Canada, was the first to be arrested in July and is now detained in Pasig.
Quiboloy and five other suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking and child abuse filed before the Pasig City regional trial court (RTC) and Quezon City RTC.