FORMER Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo Teves, Jr. was arrested last night from his current place of residence in Timor-Leste.
In a Facebook post by his son, Axl, he shared that around 8 in the evening, the expelled lawmaker’s home was raided by the immigration police and he was taken to custody together with his Timor-Leste counsel, Joao Serra.
Axl claimed that no legal document was presented during the arrest which allegedly harmed his father.
“They just picked him up without documents, without warrants or any form of legal documents. They just came in forcefully, they took him out forcefully… They were a little harmed in the process including the lawyer,” Axl narrated on his personal social media account.
Also posted was a 10-second video which showed Teves’ arrest.
Awaiting documentation from Timor-Leste
In a statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that they welcome the arrest of the former lawmaker. It will be remembered that Teves is accused to be the mastermind of the Pamplona Massacre which killed Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others back in March 2023.
They also said that they have been doing their part to bring Teves back to the country and face justice by requesting his extradition. It was granted at first, but was later on reversed and denied.
In the meantime, the Justice Department said that they are still waiting for the Timor-Leste government to send in formal documentation regarding the arrest.
“While we welcome the recent pronouncements from Timor-Leste indicating a renewed position that Mr. Teves should not remain in their territory, we await their action – whether he would simply be deported for being an undocumented foreigner or extradited forthwith pursuant to our pending application. We emphasize that the Philippine government has not been furnished with any legal or official document on the matter,” the DOJ’s statement read.
The DOJ also assured that they are ready to arrange the transfer of custody of Teves from Timor-Leste back to the Philippines.
However, the DOJ called it “fake news” when asked about Axl’s claim that an hour prior to Teves’ arrest, he received information that a private plane was bound for Timor-Leste carrying authorities who will conduct the arrest.
Claims of illegal arrest
The Teves camp is now calling the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council as they claim the ex-congressman’s arrest to be an illegal act.
“My father already won the case against the extradition and then they filed a motion for reconsideration for the previous decision made by the Timorese court and then again the Timorese court ruled in favor of my father so supposed to be, he should be in Timor living peacefully and safely but we were shocked to see that just last night he was illegally kidnapped
and is now illegally detained together with his lawyers,” Axl said.
One of Teves’ legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio also said that they have filed a writ of habeas corpus before the Timorese Court.
At the moment, Teves and Serra are said to be detained at the compound of the Ministry of the Interior.
Degamo’s reaction
Degamo’s wife and now Negros Oriental Third District Representative Janice Degamo posted on her own social media account, saying that Teves’ arrest is “a significant step toward justice.”
“Let this serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. The arrest of Arnie Teves reaffirms the strength of international cooperation and our collective pursuit of justice. We now look forward to the proper legal proceedings that will bring lasting peace to our province and long overdue justice for my beloved Roel and the hundreds of others who suffered at the hands of the Teves Terrorist Group,” her post read.
