The Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila on Thursday entered a ‘not guilty’ plea on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives
filed against former Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves, Jr. after he invoked his right to remain silent during his arraignment.
In a virtual press briefing, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio explained that his client refused to enter a plea before the RTC presided by Judge Renato Enciso because of certain legal complications in Timor Leste.
“Automatically if an accused in a criminal case refuses to enter a plea, then the court will enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of the accused,” he said.
Topacio also noted that because the Timor Leste government did not follow the writ of habeas corpus issued by the Tribunal de Recursos, the parliament of Timor Leste will be investigating the turnover of Teves to the Philippine government.
There are still pending questions with the court’s jurisdiction considering that the repatriation of Teves was illegal, he added.
Topacio also reiterated that they still have a petition to hear the case via video conferencing due to Teves’ security concerns.
Defense counsel described their petition for bail as a ‘distinct possibility.”
Teves was wearing a bulletproof vest and kevlar helmet as he was headed back to the detention facility of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Bureau of Corrections, Muntinlupa after his arraignment.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Teves pleads not guilty on charges”. It corrects an earlier post referring to the murder charges filed against Teves.
