MANILA – Former Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. was placed on house arrest by the Court of Appeals in Dili, Timor-Leste.
According to a report by Timor-Leste media agency Hatutan.com, the appellate court said Teves is a flight risk as he is facing multiple murder charges.
The Court added that Teves lives in a rented house with a monthly rent of $10,000 with his wife and two children and has more than 20 employees, 10 of which were Filipino and 10 of which were Timorese.
“Given the facts above, it is concluded that the risk of flight persists for the extraditee, especially since he has the financial means to leave Timor-Leste,” the Court said.
The CA added that flight risk is mitigated by applying the Coercive Measure of House Arrest as provided in Article 193 of the C.P.P., in addition to the Terms of Identity and Residence (T.I.R.) provided in Article 186 of the C.P.P.
“I order the arrested individual below named to be taken to House Arrest at his residence to await further extradition proceedings,” the Timor-Leste court stated.
The court also found Teves’ detention to be valid as it was carried out following a detention warrant issued by a judge.
Teves was arrested in Dili, Timor-Leste in March while playing golf based on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notice issued against him in February.
The red notice stemmed from the multiple murder charges filed against Teves for the killing of Negros Oriental gtovernor Roel Degamo and others at the home of the then-governor on March 4, 2023.
Aside from the murder of Degamo, Teves and others have also been charged with the deaths of three individuals in Negros Oriental in 2019.
Further, Teves and 12 others have also been designated as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council, citing several alleged killings and harassment in Negros Oriental.
He was also expelled by the House of Representatives in August last year for disorderly conduct and continued absence despite an expired travel authority./PN
