Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday he doesn’t believe former Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. genuinely intended to return to the Philippines to address the criminal charges against him.
Teves, accused of masterminding the March 2023 assassination of Governor Roel Degamo, was deported from Timor-Leste and is now back in Philippine custody.
“He just didn’t want to come home,” Remulla said in an ambush interview. “If he were truly innocent, he would have returned earlier. But he didn’t.”
Though Teves claimed during his deportation that he was open to returning under the right conditions, Remulla remained skeptical, citing Teves’ travel through multiple ASEAN countries before settling in Timor-Leste.
Teves previously stated that even while in Timor-Leste, he thought about eventually facing the charges. However, he also voiced safety concerns as his reason for staying abroad.
The former lawmaker faces multiple murder charges linked to the Degamo slay case and three other killings in 2019. He, along with 12 others, has also been designated a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council. Teves was expelled from the House of Representatives in August 2024 for disorderly conduct and prolonged absence.