Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. will face all murder allegations thrown against him, his legal counsel said on Thursday, March 9.
"We shall face any and all accusation consistent with the courses outlined in the legal system, confident that, in the end, our client will be exonerated," lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement.
Teves, who is currently abroad for medical treatment, has been tagged as the mastermind behind the murder of former Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
He first denied the accusations through a video statement, saying that he and his brother would Pryde Henry not benefit from Degamo's death.
The clan of Teves and Degamo are known for being a political rivals in Negros Oriental.
BASAHIN: Narito ang pahayag ni Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel ni Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnie Teves ukol sa mga usaping may kinalaman umano ito sa pagkakapatay kay Gov. Roel Degamo. | DZRH News pic.twitter.com/nm637bsKJI
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) March 10, 2023
Quoting words from the Supreme Court, Teves' legal counsel underlined that "accusation is not synonyms with guilt" and that "the Constitution guarantees to every person of innocence."
"It will not serve the ends of justice and by publicly obfuscating the issues prematurely before a thorough investigation in accordance with procedures provided for by law," he said.
The Negros Congressman is currently in the United States of America (USA) for his stem cell treatment.
However, his leave has already expired based on the copy of his travel clearance released by House of Representative Secretary General Reginald Velasco on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the media on Friday, Topacio said that his client has requested for extension of his travel authority.
"Ang pagkaalam ko [ay] humiling siya ng extension sa kaniyang travel authority from Congress sapagkat he's there for medical reasons at parang na-extend yata ang kaniyang treatment," he said.
Topacio appealed to authorities to follow the legal process after they conducted a raid on the five houses belonging to Teves.
"Sabi namin, maging mahinahon po tayo. Wala namang problema kung i-raid niyo, imbestigahan niyo, [o] i-subpoena niyo. But sundin po natin 'yung proseso," he said.
"'Yung kinakatakot ni Congressman na inihayag niya publicly and this is matter of public record, sinabi niya ang kinakatakot niya ay i-raid siya at mag p-plant ng ibedensya. Dapat don, may safeguards ng batas, may mga witnesses na nakakakita nu'ng raid para sigurado na walang planting ay sana sinunod," Topacio added.
Apart from Degamo's case, Teves is facing three counts of murder in connection to the killings perpetuated in Negros Oriental back in 2019.
