Timor Leste court releases Teves from house arrest
Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. Contributed Photo
FUGITIVE and expelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been released from house arrest by the Timor Leste tribunal conducting extradition proceedings relative to the request made by the Philippine government, the Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed on Saturday.
The DoJ said it was informed by the Timorese Central Authority that the house arrest of Teves ended at around 7 p.m. (6 p.m. in Manila) on Friday.
The DoJ said under Timorese laws, a fugitive like Teves could only be detained for a maximum of 90 days.
The former lawmaker continued to be monitored by Timorese security forces, and that land, sea and air border authorities of the Southeast Asian country had been ordered to ensure that Teves would stay only within Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste.
The DoJ also said that Teves has to be presented before the court every two days while waiting for the results of the extradition trial. The decision is expected to come out by next week, the official added.
In a statement on Saturday, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said Teves had been given certain conditions for his release, including regular reporting to a court officer and a commitment not to leave Timor-Leste while the extradition case is pending.
"This validates our earlier report that Mr. Teves was not re-arrested but was simply taken into judicial custody purely for purposes of attending the extradition hearings and that the release of Mr. Teves from Becora Prison was not procedural as the [Department of Justice] would have us believe, but a final ruling," Topacio said in a statement issued on Saturday.
Teves is facing 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder and four counts of attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 in relation to the March 4, 2023, shootings in the town of Pamplona in Negros Oriental.
He 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 was branded a terrorist in August 2023 by the Anti-Terrorism Council.
On June 18, the DoJ announced the conclusion of the hearing of Teves' extradition case. The Timorese Court of Appeals will deliberate on the case for five days before rendering its decision.