Teves’ lawyer: Remulla flip-flopped on Degamo slay issues

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 11) — The lawyer of Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves on Thursday lambasted Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla for “flip flopping” on the development in the murder case of Gov. Roel Degamo.

“He’s been flip flopping. He said it was solved but he has not filed a case. He said my client was a fugitive only to backtrack, and now he is again saying my client is a fugitive when there is no basis for that statement in law,” Ferdinand Topacio, the legal counsel of Teves, told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

Remulla told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that the Department of Justice wants a reasonable certainty of conviction before filing complaints against Teves, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Degamo.

The governor was murdered inside his residence in March, and yet authorities have not filed any complaint against the alleged mastermind two months since the crime.

Topacio questioned this, noting that the Supreme Court said “absolute certainty is not required, even reasonable certainty is not required to file a case.”

He said the law states that a probable cause is acceptable or an “evidence that may engender a reasonable mind to believe that a crime was probably committed by that person.”

Topacio also asked why there is still no complaint filed against Teves even after Remulla said that the case was 99% solved.

READ: Key suspect in Degamo killing falls, case now '99% solved' – Remulla

READ: Remulla on Degamo assassination: ‘Case closed’

"If I were him, I would be filing cases now because all you need is two to three people tagging him (Teves) directly as the mastermind," Topacio said.

Remulla has emphasized that the Degamo slay is not a simple case that involves many actors, details, and statements.

“We want to be sure of what we file," he said. "We want to be sure that when we file it, we can prove it."