Teves camp appeals extradition anew

The camp of former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. will appeal his extradition to the Philippines before the Timor-Leste Court of Appeal. Teves’ counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said the legal team in Timor-Leste will handle the appeal.

“I cannot say much about Congressman Teves because strictly speaking the ball is in the court of our lawyers in Timor-Leste. But, of course, I am almost certain we will file an appeal and the appellate process will be underway pretty soon,” Topacio said.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has expressed optimism the Timor-Leste court will uphold its decision, even if another appeal is filed.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez reiterated their confidence, stating, “We have to respect the processes of Timor-Leste. They do have an appeals team, I think. But it’s up to them. But you know, when you’ve been decided twice over and it’s in the negative, well, we are very, very hopeful that the same result would come out. Sooner than later. And that’s being kind.”

Vasquez said Teves should face the charges in a Manila court and present his evidence there.

Topacio, however, did not comment on whether they were hopeful the court’s decision would be reversed. He questioned the DoJ’s confidence, suggesting that they were unaware of any factors influencing the Timor-Leste judiciary.

“If there is something going on and there are influences brought to bear on the judiciary of Timor-Leste, eh mabigat po iyon (that’s a serious matter),” he said.

The Timor-Leste Court of Appeal had previously ruled twice in favor of the Philippines’ extradition request, emphasizing that the multiple murder charges against Teves were related to incidents that took place in the Philippines.

The charges stemmed from the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and nine others. The Philippine government has urged Teves to cooperate with the legal processes and present his case before the proper local courts.

The Philippine government has been seeking Teves’ return for over two years, but he has continued to fight his extradition.