DAVAO CITY – Television evangelist Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and five other members of his religious sect are cleared of charges of rape, child abuse, and human trafficking filed against them by a former member in December 2019.
In a joint resolution dated June 29 but was only released first week of July, the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office junked the complaints against Quiboloy, Cresente Canada, Jackielyn W. Roy, Paulenet Canada, Ingrid Canada and Sylvia Cemanes.
The dismissed complaints are rape, child abuse under Republic Act No. 7610, physical abuse, trafficking in persons through forced labor and trafficking in persons through sexual abuse.
Davao City Prosecutor Nestor Ledesma, with three other Senior Assistant City Prosecutors decided to unanimously dismiss the complaints because of lack of prima facie evidence to back up the accusation against the accused.
Atty. Israelito P. Torreon, main counsel for the accused said in a statement that his team “was able to marshal overwhelming evidences and proof proving the falsity of the charges.”
The complainant, who was a former member of Quiboloy’s religious sect, accused the pastor of raping her back in 2014. Quiboloy has since denied her claim.
Torreon added that the complainant filed the rape case against the pastor after a warrant of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court of Panabo City, Davao Del Norte for libel that Quiboloy earlier filed against her.
