(UPDATES) THE Prosecutor General's Office of Timor-Leste has placed the fugitive and former congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. under house arrest, the Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed on Thursday.

Teves will be under 24-hour security, with only family members permitted to visit him, the DoJ said.

"The government will maintain close oversight of the situation to ensure that all procedures are both valid and appropriate," it said.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez added that Teves remains under the custody of Timor-Leste police and that he is still "deprived" of his liberty while his extradition is being deliberated by the court.

"Regardless of whether he is in custody, rearrested or on house arrest, he is under the control of the police authorities. Simply put, he is deprived of liberty," Vasquez said.

Sought for comment, Teves' legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said his client "is no longer in jail."

Teves was put under house arrest because he remains a flight risk, the Timor-Leste Court of Appeals said.

The court took into account that before his arrest on March 21 in Dili, the former lawmaker and his family resided in a rented house with a monthly rent of $10,000.

It was also noted that Teves is a partner at a construction firm.

"Given the facts above, it is concluded that the risk of flight persists for the extraditee, especially since he has the financial means to leave Timor-Leste," the court said.

The court also found Teves' detention to be valid as it was carried out following a detention warrant issued by a judge.

A court in Timor-Leste, where Teves applied for a protection visa with the intent of seeking asylum last year, is currently hearing the extradition request of the Philippine government.

Teves is facing 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder, and four counts of attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 in relation to the March 4, 2023 shootings in the town of Pamplona in Negros Oriental.

He is also facing multiple murder charges in Negros Oriental in connection with a series of killings that took place in various parts of the province in 2019.

Teves was tagged as a terrorist in August 2023 by the Anti-Terrorism Council.

The House of Representatives expelled Teves from the chamber in August 2023 over his continued absence from his duties.