Fugitive former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. is now in the custody of a Timor Leste court hearing his extradion case, his lawyer told reporters via Zoom yesterday.
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio also said Teves is being held in the court’s holding area under the watch of Timor Leste’s Policia Nacional .
He insisted that the former lawmaker was actually ordered release from preventive detention after a Timor-Leste court granted their petition for habeas corpus.
Topacio who is now in Timor Leste, claimed that a collegial court composed of three members found his continued preventive detention illegal due to flaws on the part of the Philippine government in filing its request for the former solon’s extradition.
“So, there was nothing misleading about my statement. Rep. Teves was, in point of fact and law, released from detention,” he stressed.
In fact, Topacio said when Teves was released they were able to go to the chapel and say prayers and then to his residence where he met his family members.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had earlier debunked Topacio’s report as “purely misleading, highly irresponsible and an insult to both Timor Leste and the Philippines.
The DOJ made the statement after Topacio claimed that his client Teves has been provisionally released from Becora Prison in Dili, Timor- Leste pending his extradition trial after the Timor -Leste Court allegedly declared his imprisonment “illegal.”
The department stressed that the release and subsequent rearrest of the former congressman from prison to the Polícia Nacional of Timor Leste is part of the country’s process.
“The Department was able to submit all requirements ahead of time and in a manner fully compliant with Timor Leste’s law,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“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,” Assistant Secretary and DOJ Spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano IV pointed out.
In his riposte, Topacio said: “Asec. Clavano shouldn’t be shooting his mouth off before he knows the facts.”
According to Topacio, he was there in Dili, the capital of Timor Leste, where he was presented with the order of the court that apparently declared the detention of Rep. Teves as illegal.
In giving an update of the Teves case, Clavano 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. In addition, the former congressman may also still be deported depending on the direction taken by the Timor Leste government in coordination with the Philippines,” the DOJ spokesperson said.
The Philippines, as the requesting party, must respect and participate in the legal proceedings of Timor Leste which underscores the sovereignty of each country, he added.
“His release and subsequent rearrest should not be taken as hindrance to the process but simply a part of it,” Clavano said.
“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,” added Clavano.