“Sex trafficking” Israelito Torreoni, the lawyer of the famous Filipino pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is on trial on charges of embezzlement, told reporters after the hearing in Manila. “He is innocent” he said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October, Torreon said.
Quiboloy was also expected to plead guilty to child abuse charges in another court.
Joahna Paula Domingo, one of the lawyers for the alleged victim, said: “We have full confidence that the truth about the crimes allegedly committed by Apollo C. Quiboloy and the other defendants will eventually come to light. We would like to state that these cases were filed in 2019 and we have been seeking justice for the complainant since then.” he said.
Quiboloy and four other defendants arrived in a police van about 45 minutes before the scheduled hearing. The pastor was seen wearing a handcuffed orange prisoner’s shirt, a bulletproof helmet and a bulletproof vest.
Quiboloy, who faces a string of charges in the Philippines and the United States including sex trafficking, money laundering and child abuse, was arrested on Sunday after a weeks-long search of his church’s sprawling 74-acre compound by more than 2,000 security personnel.
When asked by a reporter upon arrival at the courthouse what his message to his followers was, he said in Filipino “stay strong, stay strong” meaning “just be strong, just be strong” he said.
Quiboloy is followed by millions in the Philippines, where church leaders wield great influence in politics.
Quiboloy is known to be a longtime friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Source: www.cumhuriyet.com.tr
