Teves Camp Reacts to DOJ’s Decision to Cancel His Passport if Raps Filed
The camp of suspended Negros Oriental Congressman Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr slammed the plan of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to cancel his passport.
The DOJ assured that the cancellation of Teves’ passport would commence the following week. The case against Teves must be filed first, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, before the process of canceling the lawmaker’s passport can begin.
Remulla further stated that now that Timor-Leste has denied Teves’ plea for political asylum, he intends to go to South Korea, Cambodia, or Thailand. He further stated that the procedure of declaring the lawmaker a terrorist is still in progress.
The secretary went on to say that Teves is a fugitive due to the various murder allegations he is facing in connection with the deaths of four people in 2019. According to Teves’ legal counsel, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, there is no justification for the cancellation of his passport at this moment.
Meanwhile, according to Teves’ legal counsel, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, there is no need to invalidate Teves’ passport at this moment. Topacio also disputed reports that his client is resisting judicial proceedings.
“There are only 3 instances when you can cancel a passport. If he’s a fugitive from justice, if he’s been convicted by final judgment, or if the passport is fraudulently acquired. Now, he cannot be considered a fugitive from justice, aside from the fact the secretary of justice cannot seem to make up his mind whether my client is a fugitive or not,” based on the report of ABS-CBN.
“We have been participating in all the legal processes that we have been allowed to participate in. In fact, there are some legal processes like the proceedings before the [House] Committee of Ethics where we were barred from participating or in the Senate,” he added.
READ ALSO: Senator Bato Dela Rosa Reveals Teves is Still Calling Him
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