The Department of Justice expects the extradition case of Apollo Quiboloy to potentially be resolved within several months instead of taking years, despite possible legal challenges before Philippine courts.
Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan said the extradition process will go through the Regional Trial Court and could reach the Court of Appeals, but proceedings have been accelerated under new rules.
The DOJ is currently reviewing the extradition request submitted by the United States against Quiboloy.
Chan said the department must first determine whether the request complies with the existing extradition treaty between the Philippines and the United States before filing the case in court.
If the documents are complete and meet the requirements, Chan said he sees no reason why the request would not be approved.
The DOJ official also pointed to new Supreme Court rules intended to speed up extradition proceedings.
Under the rules, appeals are limited to the Court of Appeals. The appellate court has 90 days to issue a decision, which will immediately become final and enforceable.
The shortened process is expected to prevent delays that have caused some extradition cases in the past to take several years.
Chan said the faster procedure could allow Quiboloy’s extradition case to move forward within months, although the case could still face legal challenges in court.
The DOJ said it will continue to review the request before bringing it before the courts to ensure that the requirements under the extradition treaty are met.
Chan also stressed that speeding up the proceedings would not mean sacrificing a proper and complete review of the case.
The DOJ’s assessment of the U.S. extradition request is currently underway, with the department determining whether the documents comply with the requirements of the treaty before the case proceeds to court.
