Filipino-Australian Gregor Johann Haas’ mugshot is shown after he was arrested in the Philippines following an international manhunt and efforts were underway to have the suspect extradited to Jakarta to face charges.
PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of bureau of immigration
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The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the release of Australian-Filipino national Gregor Johann Haas from detention, reversing its earlier ruling in a case involving alleged drug trafficking charges filed in Indonesia.
In an amended decision promulgated 29 October 2025 but made public Friday, the CA’s Third Division granted a motion for reconsideration filed by Haas’ mother, Soledad Tolentino-Haas.
The ruling set aside the court’s 14 May 2025 decision that had initially favored the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) petition to stop Haas’s release.
The appellate court’s latest decision found no grave abuse of discretion on the part of Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 267 Judge Antonio Olivete, who had allowed the immediate execution of his December 2024 order granting a writ of habeas corpus in favor of Haas.
CA reversed itself primarily because the Interpol Red Notice against Haas had been canceled, and neither the Philippine nor Indonesian governments had filed formal criminal or extradition proceedings against him.
“The writ of habeas corpus is a speedy and effectual remedy against unlawful detention,” the appellate court said, adding that its execution “even pending appeal, is imbued with a sense of urgency and immediacy.” The ruling clarified that non-execution of the trial court’s decision would be antithetical to the extraordinary and expeditious nature of habeas corpus proceedings.
This latest ruling effectively denies the BI’s petition and reinstates the Taguig court’s order for Haas’s release, clearing the way for him to walk free after more than a year of detention.
Haas, born in the Philippines in 1978 to a Filipino mother, became a naturalized Australian citizen after his family migrated in the 1980s. He entered the Philippines in August 2023 using an Australian passport.
He was arrested by immigration agents in San Remigio, Cebu, in May 2024 after the Indonesian National Narcotics Board sought his deportation for alleged drug trafficking.
Indonesian authorities accused Haas of attempting to smuggle narcotics hidden in ceramic tiles from Mexico to Indonesia, securing an Interpol Red Notice for his arrest.
The Bureau of Immigration Board of Commissioners issued a summary deportation order against Haas, citing him as a fugitive from justice and a threat to public interest.
Haas was arrested in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philippine Naval Intelligence and Security Group.
His mother filed the initial habeas corpus petition, arguing her son was a natural-born Filipino citizen who could not be summarily deported. Records showed that Haas had taken an oath of allegiance to the Philippines, signifying his intent to retain his Filipino nationality. The Taguig RTC agreed, granting the writ in December 2024.
The case has drawn international attention, particularly due to reports of the Indonesian government’s interest in a possible prisoner exchange involving former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who went into hiding in July 2024.
