Court hearing extradition bid for Teves
PREPARATIONS are underway for the return of expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.
Department of Justice (DoJ) spokesman Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV said during a public briefing on Thursday that the Philippines’ request for his extraction successfully passed the initial screening and is now before the Court of Appeals of Timor-Leste.
“The Ministry of Justice of Timor-Leste has already forwarded and endorsed [the extradition request] to the Court of Appeals, and we are just waiting for the decision whether to deport, extradite or transfer former congressman Teves back to the Philippines,” Clavano said.
He said they have “mentioned and attached” all the resolutions and decisions relevant to the case involving Teves to the extradition request “so that we can prove that the basis of the Interpol red notice is true.”
The red notice was issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in May 2023 against the former lawmaker.
A red notice is a request for law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a person pending his or her extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
“Within the next few weeks, we hope to already receive a decision from the Court of Appeals of Timor-Leste,” Clavano 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 designated as a terrorist in August 2023 by the Anti-Terrorism Council, applied for a protection visa with the intent of seeking asylum in Dili last year.
He was arrested on March 21 while he was playing golf at the Top Golf Driving Range in the capital city of Dili in TimorLeste and is currently in the custody of the Dili police.
However, according to his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, political asylum, nonrendition, and other legal remedies are still very much on the table for his client.