A 20-day freeze order has been issued by the Court of Appeals on the bank accounts and assets of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, his religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ and nine associates, and its media arm Swara Sug Media Corporation over links to trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and money laundering charges in the Philippines and United States.
Also covered by the order are the accounts and assets under the names of Paulene Canada, Maria Teresita Dandan, Helen Panilag, Cresente Canada, Ingrid Canada, Sylvia Cemañes, Jackielyn Roy, Alona Santander, Marlon Acobo, and Children’s Joy Foundation Inc.
The assets ordered frozen include 10 bank accounts, seven real properties, five motor vehicles, and one Cessna aircraft of Quiboloy, who has evaded Philippine authorities seeking to serve his arrest warrant for child abuse and human trafficking. He is also wanted in the US.
In issuing the August 6 order, the CA said it found “reasonable ground” to believe that the bank accounts cited in the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) petition were linked to unlawful activities and predicate crimes.
These are qualified human trafficking and sexual and child abuse under Philippine laws; and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, marriage fraud, fraud and misuse of visas, bulk cash smuggling, promotional money laundering, concealment money laundering, and international promotion money laundering under US laws, as reported by abogado.com
“In order to avoid the possibility of the funds in the subject bank accounts and/or properties from being withdrawn, removed, transferred, concealed or placed beyond the reach of law enforcers, this Court finds it appropriate and judicious to issue a 20-day FREEZE ORDER as prayed for by petitioner over said bank accounts, including all other related or materially-linked accounts, and the real and personal properties enumerated in the Ex Parte Petition,” the CA said.
It directed government agencies to annotate the freeze order on the “titles and certificates of registration of the foregoing real properties, motor vehicles, and aircraft.”
The court cited allegations that Quiboloy had a hand in recruiting an individual to the KOJC, where she was subjected to sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude, the abogado.com reported.
It also pointed to his indictment by the Department of Justice of human trafficking and sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor.
Another ground it cited was the deployment of KOJC members to the US to solicit donations to fund the construction of the group’s stadium and Quiboloy’s “lavish lifestyle.”
These donations were smuggled to the Philippines to be deposited in KOJC accounts, and the workers were made to conceal the fact that the solicited amounts were funding the group, it said.
It also said the accounts of the KOJC’s top administrators, whose incomes do not match their financial profiles, had “unusual” deposits, withdrawals and remittance transactions.
The AMLC sought the freeze order after it conducted a financial investigation upon the request of the Department of Justice.
The AMLC probe found that Quiboloy had 330 substantial financial transactions from December 12, 2006 to February 7, 2022.
From 2007 to 2018, there were substantial cash deposits made to his accounts that were withdrawn the next day or in succeeding days. These appear to have come from his and his church’s alleged illegal activities, it said.
It also said Quiboloy was affiliated with several companies, including delinquent ones unlikely to generate lawful income. It is thus highly probable that Quiboloy’s financial transactions could not be supported by these companies, it added.
