The Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said they called upon Timor Leste authorities for the immediate extradition of fugitive Arnolfo Teves, Jr. after receiving reports that his son allegedly bribed a member of the Policia Cientifica De Investigacao Criminal (PCIC) in Timor Leste in exchange for special treatment of his father while in detention.
Reports said the son of Teves, Jr. offered a bribe to a PCIC member in the amount of $2,000 (over PHP114,000) in exchange for "security" inside and outside Becora Prison, where he is being held while waiting for his extradition or deportation.
The expelled Negros Oriental congressman is currently on pre-trial detention at the Becora Prison following his arrest in March by Timorese authorities acting on an INTERPOL red notice.
He is wanted in the Philippines on charges of corruption, assassination, and suspected terrorism.
As a result, calls for the immediate extradition or deportation of Teves have intensified in Timor Leste to prove the international community that the country does not harbor international fugitives.
"Go home and face the Court squarely," Remulla advised Teves.
Remulla said, "Let us stop playing hide and seek with the law, one cannot evade accountability for eternity. Prolonging your liabilities with the Rule of Law only worsens your predicament."
