Arnie Teves can't be sent back to PH yet, says lawyer

Rep. Arnie Teves on Zoom April 17, 2023

Former Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. cannot be extradited yet pending the resolution of his request for political asylum in Timor-Leste, his lawyer in the Philippines said Friday.

“According to his (Teves) Timor-Leste lawyers, the [application] process [for political asylum] is still ongoing. And there is a principle in their law that says that if there is a pending political asylum application, not withstanding any extradition request, a person cannot be extradited because it would render the application for asylum moot and academic,” Atty. Ferdinand Topacio told reporters in a virtual press conference.

Topacio made the statement in response to the Department of Justice’s announcement that Timor-Leste authorities already granted the Philippine government’s extradition request for Teves, who is facing murder charges over the assassination of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo.

“So that is another remedy that we are pursuing. It is just that the Philippine government submitted an extradition request, so it was the concern that his Timor-Leste lawyers had to address first,” Topacio said.

He also pointed out that the grant of the Philippine government’s request for extradition is also under appeal, which would stay the execution of the extradition.

“The extradition cannot be implemented when the appellate process is not yet over,” Topacio said.

DOJ confident

According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, with the Philippines winning its extradition case against Teves, the lawmaker "can no longer evade the legal consequences of his actions and should answer the charges fair and square."

"Teves will now have his day in court, face his long delayed trial and prove his innocence, if indeed he is innocent," Remulla said in a statement on Friday.

"We look forward to the arrival of Mr. Teves so that he may finally face the charges against him in our local courts," DOJ spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV, for his part, said.

But even in a worst-case scenario, Topacio said that they are confident that Teves will be cleared of all charges.

“Even if they do succeed in extraditing Mr. Teves, we still have to go the judicial process in proving his guilt, at palagay ko mahihirapan sila gawin ‘yan kasi nagre-recant na ang mga witnesses,” he said.

(I doubt they will be able to prove his guilt given that witnesses are recanting their statements.)

“Hindi rin nila sinasabi na iyong mga co-accused ni Congressman Teves on [illegal possession of] explosives charges were granted bail because those explosives turned out to be dud. That is not something they tell to the public,” he added.

Aside from the murder of Degamo, Teves and others have also been charged with the deaths of three individuals in Negros Oriental in 2019.

Teves and 12 others have also been designated as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council, citing several alleged killings and harassment in Negros Oriental.

In early February, a Manila Court also ordered the cancellation of Teves' passport.

Teves was expelled by the House of Representatives in August last year for disorderly conduct and continued absence despite an expired travel authority.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News

This article Arnie Teves can't be sent back to PH yet, says lawyer was originally published in GMA News Online.