Seven Properties, Ten Bank Accounts: A Court Extends the Freeze on a Philippine Church Leader’s Empire

• The Court of Appeals extended a freeze on assets linked to Apollo Quiboloy
• Seven real properties in Davao and elsewhere and ten bank accounts are covered
• The freeze was extended to 6 February 2025
• Quiboloy’s lawyer said no real property is registered in the pastor’s name

A Philippine court kept its grip on the property and cash of a controversial church leader, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on 30 August 2024. The Court of Appeals extended a freeze order covering assets linked to Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC), until 6 February 2025, the Anti-Money Laundering Council confirmed.

The freeze covers ten accounts at Banco de Oro and Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. and seven real estate properties in Davao del Norte, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Mati and Roxas City. It also extends to holdings of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Sonshine Media Network International and ten other individuals. The court first imposed a 20-day freeze on 7 August 2024 after finding merit in cases involving sexual exploitation, human trafficking and financial smuggling.

Police stressed that their target was an arrest warrant, not the congregation. “We are not after the members of KOJC… we respect (the church). What we are after is the implementation of the valid warrant of arrest from the courts,” said Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba.

Quiboloy’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, told the Philippine Star in September 2024 that “As far as I know, there is no single real property that is registered in the name of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy,” arguing that the assets belong to the organisation.

The case turns on a question that matters in every church: whose property is it? When a leader’s personal affairs and a ministry’s assets are closely intertwined, legal trouble for one can freeze the other, leaving members’ buildings and savings tied up in court.

For Jamaican churches and ministries, the safeguard is clear separation. Church land and accounts should be held in the name of a properly registered body with trustees, audited accounts and board oversight, not in a pastor’s personal name or under his sole control. Good structure protects both the congregation’s assets and its reputation.

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