Teves' return to Philippines set this month — DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — Expelled lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. will be brought back to the Philippines from Timor-Leste "very soon" or this month, Justice Secetary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday, September 9.

For several months, Teves has been on the run to evade arrest in connection with the killing of then-Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others in March 2023. Teves fled to Timor-Leste and applied for political asylum before being arrested in March. 

"Teves is coming home very soon. Our expectation is within the month," Remulla told reporters.

Remulla said the justice department has sought the help of the Philippine Air Force in flying Teves back to the Philippines.
 
Timor-Leste plans to send Teves back to the Philippines after Pope Francis wraps up his visit in the Southeast Asian country on September 11, Department of Justice Spokesperson Mico Clavano said on Saturday, September 7. 

“I don’t think that the president of Timor-Leste wants him to stay [there] any longer,” Clavano added.

In June, Timor-Leste's appellate court approved the Philippine government's request to extradite Teves. 

Teves' motion for reconsideration seeking to reverse the court's decision was denied on August 28, according to the justice department. He is currently under house arrest. 

Besides the criminal cases related to Degamo's killing in 2023, Teves is also charged with multiple other crimes related to a series of killings in 2019. — Cristina Chi