The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Tuesday its commitment to ensuring that former Oriental Mindoro Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. is extradited to the Philippines.
This follows a clarification that the Timor-Leste court had ruled for Teves’ extradition, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise.
“No amount of underhanded tactics will derail our determination to get this fugitive home to face the murder charges. The victims need justice,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said.
The DoJ noted that Teves’ legal team was challenging the ruling on procedural grounds, specifically questioning the number of judges involved.
The DoJ dismissed these objections as a delaying tactic, pointing out that Teves and his team were fully involved in the proceedings and had ample opportunities to raise such issues earlier.
“This is a clear afterthought, raised only after the proceedings had concluded unfavorably for him. In Philippine law, such a move would be barred under the principle of estoppel, which prevents a party from challenging procedural issues if they actively participated in the process and failed to raise objections earlier,” the DoJ said.
“Teves and his representatives were fully engaged in the proceedings, had the opportunity to present their case, and were afforded due process throughout. Their recent objections only arose after they failed to secure a favorable outcome.”
The DoJ said it remained confident the original ruling will stand, emphasizing that the legal merits are strong and Teves will soon face justice in the Philippines, particularly for the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others.