Arnolfo Teves Jr. Lawyer Reveals He Was Released From Becora Prison in Timor-Leste
ARNIE TEVES – The lawyer of expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. said he was released from Timor-Leste prison.
Arnolfo Teves Jr., a former lawmaker, was captured in Dili, Timor-Leste, three months ago. Three weeks after the Manila Regional Trial Court withdrew his passport and Interpol issued a red notice for him, he was taken into custody.
Teves is charged with the Pamplona Massacre, which took place in 2023 and resulted in the deaths of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine other people.
Prior to going into hiding, Arnolfo Teves Jr. repeatedly refuted these accusations. Ultimately, in March 2024, while playing golf in Timor-Leste, he was taken into custody.
Based on a report from Inquirer, Teves Jr. has been freed from Becora Prison in Dili, Timor-Leste. His lawyer Atty. Ferdinand Topacio gave reporters a statement confirming this.
Topacio stated, “The request for extradition by the Philippine Government was made out of time and in a manner that is not sanctioned by practice and customary international law,” Topacio said.
“In other words, our government ‘screwed up.’ Thus, his imprisonment was declared illegal,” he said.
READ ALSO: Janice Degamo Describes the Arrest of Teves as “an Answered Prayer”
Ferdinand Topacio also mentioned that his counterparts in Timor-Leste informed him that Teves will undergo further proceedings regarding his stay in Timor-Leste, starting tomorrow (Tuesday). He will be present, along with witnesses in his favor, including former Human Rights Commissioner Wilhelm Soriano, who will testify as a human rights expert.
“The road to justice for Mr. Teves will be long and hard, bloody and painful, but we will never surrender, to paraphrase Winston Churchill,” Topacio added.
In a previous article, the Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed that Teves applied for citizenship in Timor-Leste. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) charged Teves with ten counts of murder, fourteen counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder.