Quiboloy probe ‘beyond Senate’s powers’ — lawyers

The camp of Apollo Quiboloy on Friday said the ongoing Senate probe on complaints against the pastor was “not in aid of legislation but is tantamount to usurpation of judicial functions beyond the powers of the Senate.”

Quiboloy’s lawyer Melanio Elvis Balayan said this as he submitted a19-page response to the show cause order on why his client should not be detained by the Senate for skipping hearings on the allegations of sexual abuse against him.

He said Quiboloy’s refusal to attend the hearing was “not a sign of disrespect to honorable [the] Senate nor a disregard of its powers and functions.”

“[It] is purely based on the fact that the criminal accusations against him can only be legitimately settled before the competent courts,” he said.

Balayan said the resolution of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality was “incriminatory.”

“Therefore, it is useless for Pastor Quiboloy to attend withoutsacrificing his fundamental bill of rights. The resolution alreadyfound him guilty,” the lawyer said.

Balayan said they will await the response of the Senate on their legal compliance to the show cause order.

“From there, we will take it as to the best legal avenue or legal actions we could take,” he said.

Quiboloy recently denied that he sexually abused female personal assistants or “pastorals.”

The religious leader said the complainants made up the allegations against them because he rejected them.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, head of the committee investigating the complaints against Quiboloy, said she will request Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to approve the warrant of arrest against the pastor.

“Quiboloy will be detained in the Senate only for not attending theSenate hearing and not for the grave accusations of the victims against him,” she said.

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