Video-sharing giant YouTube has taken down the channel of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), owned by religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted for crimes in the United States.
“This account has been terminated for a violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service,” according to a notice posted on SMNI’s page.
Google, which owns YouTube, “is committed to compliance with applicable US sanctions laws and enforces related policies under its Terms of Service,” a spokesperson for the video-sharing platform said.
“After review and consistent with these policies, we terminated the Laban Kasama ang Bayan, KOJC, & SMNI YouTube channels,” the spokesperson added.
The development came weeks after the platform suspended Quiboloy’s personal YouTube channel for violations of community guidelines.
Gaming YouTuber Mutahar, also known as SomeOrdinaryGamers, raised the issues about Quiboloy’s channel to YouTube via Twitter on Tuesday, citing the human trafficking cases against the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder filed in the United States.
The user alleged that despite his cases, Quiboloy had been “running a channel still reaching out to victims less than 12 hours ago.”
Quiboloy had some 47,600 subscribers on his channel before it was taken down.
In 2022, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed Quiboloy on its most wanted list for a string of cases, including sex trafficking of children, fraud, coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.
The FBI announcement came a year after the preacher was indicted in the US for sex trafficking, with American prosecutors alleging that some girls and young women were coerced to have sex with him.
Neither Quiboloy nor SMNI have issued a statement regarding the latest takedown.
Late last year, the US Treasury Department also sanctioned Quiboloy for his alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuses.
Quiboloy responded to the accusations by likening himself to Biblical characters, alluding to himself as a “modern Joseph” from the Book of Genesis who was undergoing tribulations.