Teves out of prison in East Timor capital

(UPDATE) EXPELLED Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves, facing murder charges in the Philippines, has been released from preventive detention in Becora Prison in the capital city of Dili in East Timor, his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said Monday.

“The request for extradition by the Philippine Government was made out of time and in a manner that is not sanctioned by practice and customary international law,” Topacio said in a short statement.

“In other words, our government screwed up. Thus, his imprisonment was declared illegal,” he added.

Rep. Arnolfo Teves released from preventive detention in Becora Prison in Dili, Timor Leste. PHOTO COURTESY OF ATTY. FERDINAND TOPACIO

Topacio said there are still judicial proceedings that Teves will have to undergo regarding his continued stay in Timor Leste.

He said Teves would be present during the proceedings, which will start on Tuesday “along with witnesses in his favor, including former Human Rights Commissioner Wilhelm Soriano.”

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Topacio said Soriano will serve as the “expert witness to the effect that the human rights of Representative Teves are being violated.”

“The road to justice for Mr. Teves will be long and hard, bloody and painful but we will never surrender, to paraphrase Winston Churchill,” Topacio said.

The Department of Justice (DoJ), however, maintained it was able to submit all requirements needed in the request for the extradition “ahead of time and in a manner fully compliant with Timor Leste’s law.”

“The statements of Topacio are misleading, highly irresponsible and an insult to both countries,” the DoJ said. ” He ought to know that while he owes fealty to his client, he remains an officer of the court and must act accordingly to maintain its majesty and integrity.”

While Teves has been released from preventive suspension, the DoJ said the Polícia Nacional of Timor Leste (PNTL) has taken him into custody to continue to stand trial for his anticipated extradition.

“The department is confident that the extradition proceedings will be successful,” it said in a statement.

In addition, the DoJ said the former congressman may also still be deported “depending on the direction taken by the Timor Leste government in coordination with the Philippines.”

It argued that the release and subsequent rearrest of the former congressman from prison to the PNTL is part of the process in Timor Leste.

“The Philippines, as the requesting party, must respect and participate in the legal proceedings of Timor Leste underscoring the sovereignty of each country,” the DoJ said.

It pointed out that the release and subsequent rearrest of Teves should not be taken as a “hindrance to the process but simply a part of it.”

“We appreciate the steps currently being undertaken by the Timor Leste government to remove him from their territory and we eagerly anticipate his return to the Philippines so he can face the multiple murder charges,” the DoJ said.

Teves was tagged as the mastermind in the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and five other people on March 4, 2023.

The former lawmaker is also facing multiple murder charges in Negros Oriental in connection with a series of killings that took place in various parts of the province in 2019.

Teves, who was tagged as a terrorist in August 2023 by the Anti-Terrorism Council, applied for a protection visa with the intent of asylum in Dili last year.

He was arrested on March 21 while he was playing golf at the Top Golf Driving Range in Dili.

Teves was expelled from the House of Representatives early in August for his continued pursuit of political asylum, which lawmakers deemed tantamount to abandoning his public office; his long absence, which was not allowed as he was authorized to go on a medical trip only from Feb. 28 to March 9, 2023; and his indecent behavior when he uploaded on social media a video of him dancing while wearing only his undergarments.

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