The lawyer of expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” A. Teves Jr. on Tuesday, May 21, refuted as erroneous a report that the former lawmaker is set for deportation to the Philippines after his asylum request was denied by the Timor-Leste government.
"Whoever is circulating the false rumors of the supposed denial of Rep. Arnolfo Teves' request for political asylum in Timor-Leste, and his impending deportation to the Philippines in two days, is talking through his hat and/or abysmally ignorant of Timor-Leste laws,” lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement.
Topacio responded to a news report that cited the widow of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, Mayor Janice Degamo of Pamplona, Negros Oriental, who said that the asylum request sought by Teves has been denied in Timor-Leste and, with the denial, the fugitive former lawmaker is set to be deported back to the Philippines.
The news report stated that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed what Mayor Degamo said.
Topacio said he has been in constant communication with the lawyers of Teves in Timor-Leste and pointed out that “as of this writing, we do not have any information on the status of the asylum request, much less that it has been denied.”
“The denial of asylum in Timor-Leste, as my counterparts informed me, may be subject to appeal, during which time the person requesting appeal is not deported,” he said.
“Even if there is no appeal, the deportation is not immediate and the law provides for a transitional period of 20 days,” he added. "We have every intention to appeal," he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it has yet to receive confirmation about the denial of the asylum and the deportation of Teves.
“Hindi po namin kayang iconfirm yung denial of political asylum without official communication from DFA (We cannot confirm the denial of the political asylum without official communication from the DFA),” said DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV.
On the extradition request sought by the DOJ before Timor-Leste, Clavanao said: "We are awaiting their decision.”
“We are following all the right processes and we do hope for a favorable outcome,” he also said.
Teves, who had been designated as a terrorist in July last year by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), has been charged with 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 51 over the March 4, 2023 shootings in Pamplona town where Gov. Roel Degamo was one of those killed.
The trial court had already issued an arrest order against him. He was arrested in Timor-Leste where he fled after he learned of the arrest order.