Filipino televangelist pleads not guilty to child abuse and human trafficking charges
A Filipino televangelist who calls himself the “anointed son of God” and once claimed to have stopped an earthquake has pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and human trafficking
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine televangelist, who calls himself the “anointed son of God” and once claimed to have stopped an earthquake, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of abuse of minors and human trafficking in a court arraignment that's the latest mark of his reversal of fortune.
Apollo Carreon Quiboloy and four of his co-accused were brought under heavy security to the regional trial court in Pasig city in metropolitan Manila for the human trafficking charges and was later arraigned by video from police detention by another court handling a separate non-bailable case of child abuse.
Lawyer Israelito Torreon told reporters his client Quiboloy entered not guilty pleas before the two courts because he's innocent of the charges. Quiboloy, 74, also asked the court to allow him to be detained in a hospital due to unspecified illnesses but no immediate decision was made.
Quiboloy, the preacher and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ group, faces similar charges in the United States, where he has been included in the FBI’s most-wanted list.
