MANILA, Philippines — The Timor Leste government wants to extradite expelled lawmaker and fugitive Arnolfo Teves “as soon as possible,” the Department of Justice said.
In a news forum over the weekend, the DOJ said Timor Leste is committed to turning over Teves Jr. to the Philippine government as soon as possible, saying the President of Timor Leste doesn’t want Teves in the custody of his country any longer.
“Yesterday actually lumabas ang balita na ang President ng Timor-Leste mismo si José Ramos-Horta said it will not be too long before Teves is sent back to the Philippines,” DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano IV said in a forum.
“I don’t think that the president of Timor-Leste wants him to stay [there] any longer,” he said.
Clavano announced that the government is prepared for the extradition process, which is anticipated to begin following Pope Francis’ visit to Timor Leste next week.
The Pope is scheduled for an apostolic visit to Timor Leste on September 9.
Teves has been in Timor Leste police custody since March, following his arrest based on an Interpol red notice issued in February.
A red notice is a global request to locate and arrest a person pending extradition or other legal actions.
Teves is a suspect in the assassination of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4 of last year.
He denies the assassination allegations.
Teves and others also face charges related to the deaths of three people in Negros Oriental in 2019.
He was expelled from the House of Representatives in August 2023 for disorderly conduct and continued absence despite an expired travel authority.
