Expelled former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnulfo Teves Jr. was arrested in Dili, Timor Leste Tuesday evening, his son Axl confirmed in a social media post yesterday.
In his video, the younger Teves claimed his father had been “kidnapped” at around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
“At around 7 p.m., he already had information that a private aircraft was scheduled to fly over to Timor Leste and at 8 p.m., immigration officers arrived at his residence and picked him up. They just picked him up without documents, without warrants or any form of legal documents,” Axl said.
The Department of Justice said it is not yet clear whether Teves “would simply be deported for being an undocumented foreigner or extradited forthwith pursuant to our pending application.”
The Department of Justice, however, is ready to arrange the transfer of custody by the “most expeditious means” once the issue has been clarified, the DOJ said.
“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,” it added.
In a separate interview with Manila Standard, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said Teves is currently being detained at the Ministry of the Interior together with his Timor Leste legal counsel, Dr. Joao Serra.
“The lawyer was manhandled by the said police,” Topacio said.
Teves is facing multiple murder cases before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 in relation to the killing of slain Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and several others.
Later, he applied for political asylum in Timor Leste but was eventually placed under house arrest.
In March, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Teves’ passport has been cancelled following the designation of the former lawmaker as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council.
Timor Leste president José Ramos-Horta on Tuesday said in a press briefing his country does not want Teves to stay any longer for reasons of national interest.
“Regardless of all legal and constitutional considerations, there is one issue that all countries in the world observe, the national interest. The national interest is what imposes, what determines and, in this case, we are not interested in someone of that nature, to prevent East Timor from becoming a paradise for all those who commit crimes in the region,” Ramos-Horta said.
Meanwhile, Negros Oriental congresswoman-elect Janice Degamo, the widow of the slain governor, said 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,” she said in a separate statement.
“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.”
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the PNP is ready to assist the DOJ and secure Teves once he is sent back to the country.
“We have security escorts here. As I said, let us prepare the custodial facility in case the DOJ needs it,” Marbil told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Crame.
He clarified, however, that the PNP has yet to receive any formal request for assistance from the DOJ.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Teves camp confirms ‘forceful’ arrest in Timor-Leste.”