A Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane with tail number 142 left Dili international airport in Timor-Leste on Thursday afternoon to bring fugitive politician Arnolfo ‘Arnie’ Teves, Jr. back to Manila.
Teves, who is accused of murder, was arrested by Timorese authorities on Tuesday evening after the Philippine government cancelled his passport, making him an illegal alien and thus ineligible for asylum.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) deployed representatives with agents from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier this morning to facilitate the safe return of Teves.
In a livestream footage posted by East Timor-based media Smnews Puru, Teves was seen being loaded onto the plane with government authorities. The plane took off before 3:00 p.m.
Teves is expected to arrive in the Philippines within the day.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.
