MANILA, Philippines — The former diplomat indicted in United States for engaging in sexual activity with a minor in the Philippines is facing separate charges in the domestic court, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday.
“The Office of the City Prosecutor of Pasay City has already filed charges Dean Edward Cheves for violation of the child abuse law and child pornography law early this month,” Guevarra told reporters.
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“Unfortunately, Mr. Cheves had been sent back to the US as early as March 2021. The [Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs] are currently discussing the proper course of action, considering that Mr. Cheves is also facing criminal charges in the US for the same acts under US laws,” Guevarra also said.
A copy of the Pasay prosecution office indicting Cheves has yet to be made public as of this story’s posting.
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment on August 3, charging Cheves for engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and possession of child pornography.
In a release, the US Department of Justice said Cheves allegedly met a 16-year-old online and engaged in sexual activity with the victim. Videos of the acts and child pornography were also found on his devices.
Cheves is a former member of the Foreign Service at the US embassy in Manila from September 2020 to February 2021.
The case Cheves is facing in the US is separate from the proceedings as American authorities “quietly conducted their own separate investigation here.”
The charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the minor’s mother, he added.
The Philippine government is studying the possible extradition of Cheves, with the DOJ’s Office of Chief State Counsel taking the lead in evaluating options.
Guevarra previously said the DOJ and DFA are still studying surrounding issues such as “diplomatic immunity under the Vienna convention and territorial jurisdiction.”
“Assuming that these issues have been clarified, we shall proceed to coordinate with the US Department of Justice under the umbrella of the [Republic of the Philippines]-US Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT),” he added. — Kristine Joy Patag