Interpol notice issued vs. Teves as murder raps loom

Suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines–The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) notice has been issued against Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Wednesday.

“He cannot keep his whereabouts secret anymore since there is already an Interpol notice about his movements,” Remulla said.

With the Interpol notice, Remulla said, “we are informed of his movements by all jurisdictions. Once he enters a certain jurisdiction, they already informed us of his movements.”

Teves left the country for the United States in February this year for medical treatment in the United States.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo was killed on March 4.

Teves denied involvement in the killing.

He also refused to return to the country for fear of his safety.

Remulla said based on their information from the US, Teves went to South Korea, then Cambodia, and back to Korea and moved to Timor-Leste.

In Timor-Leste, Teves applied for a protection visa with the intent of seeking asylum.

READ: Suspended Rep. Teves eyeing asylum in Timor Leste, says DOJ chief

But the Timor-Leste government denied his application and gave him five days to leave the country.

READ: DFA says Timor-Leste rejects Teves’ request for political asylum

Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) would ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel Teves’ passport to force him to return to the country once multiple murder charges are filed against him.

Remulla added the murder complaints are expected to be filed before the DOJ either on Friday or Monday next week.

“We will only cancel it when there is a cause to cancel it, which is a court case for murder or terrorism or whatever cases will be filed,” he said.

Teves has a diplomatic passport, being a member of the House of Representatives, which can also be canceled, said Remulla.

“He has a diplomatic passport which we can also seek the cancellation if it was used in his travels abroad but we will validate that information if he used the diplomatic passport when he went to another country. Because a diplomatic passport is not a right but a privilege given to government officials, and since he has been suspended from the House, then he shouldn’t be using it,” the justice secretary said in a chance interview.

Aside from being implicated in the Degamo killing, Teves is also facing multiple murder charges before the DOJ over the 2019 killing of former Negros Oriental Board Member Miguel Dungog and two others, as well as complaints of illegal possession of firearms.

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