Detained former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. is not receiving and will not receive any special treatment, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
In an interview with Manila Standard, Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez stressed that “his (Teves’s) case is equally important as other cases involving ordinary accused.”
“He would be treated as an ordinary detention prisoner. The schedule of his cases will be determined by the dockets of the courts and prosecutors. His case is equally important as other cases involving ordinary accused. No special treatment,” he said.
Teves is now detained in a regular cell in Building 14, New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa City, according to Vasquez.
Teves is facing multiple criminal charges, including the high-profile assassination of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in 2023 and other murder cases in 2019.
Vasquez praised the cooperation between Timor-Leste and the Philippines in the eventual deportation of the former lawmaker.
The Timor-Leste government on May 28 said it decided to deport and ban Teves for 10 years as it considers his presence a “threat to national security and interests” and “poses a disruptive factor” in its bilateral relations with the Philippines.
This move came more than two months after the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, expressed disappointment over the young nation’s earlier decision to deny the request to extradite Teves.
