By Brian Campued
Malacañang on Friday stressed that there was no contradiction between the latest pronouncement of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the announcement made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. over the apprehension of former lawmaker Zaldy Co in the Czech Republic.
In a statement, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified that Pres. Marcos Jr. did not use the word “arrest” when he issued an update about Co last week.
“Walang anumang contradiction. Hindi nanggaling sa Pangulo ang salitang ‘aresto.’ Ang sabi ng Pangulo ay nasa kustodiya ng Czech Republic si Zaldy Co dahil sa kakulangan sa proper documentation. Nahuli si Zaldy Co due to immigration concerns,” Usec. Castro said.
In his social media posts on April 16 and 17, the President announced that Co, a key figure in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, was “denied entry” at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic” due to lack of proper documentation and was “returned to Czech authorities, where he remains in custody.”
Usec. Castro likewise cited DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez who earlier emphasized that Co’s “liberty was restrained” in the Czech Republic.
“For analogy, it’s similar to a situation in the airport where the person arrives and immigration denies entry or excludes the person… There is a deprivation of liberty to a certain degree,” Usec. Castro said, quoting Martinez.
A high-level Philippine delegation led by DOJ Sec. Fredderick Vida on Thursday flew to Prague to meet with Czech authorities to discuss “all available legal revenues” for Co’s return to the Philippines.
“These legal avenues include, but are not limited to, deportation, extradition, and the invocation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, to which both the Philippines and the Czech Republic are signatories,” the DOJ said.
“The Philippine government is mindful that this is a matter that involves the domestic laws, judicial processes, and data privacy regulations of a sovereign state.”
Co is facing charges of graft and malversation of public funds before the Sandiganbayan for his alleged involvement in a P289.4-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
In November 2025, he was also declared a “fugitive from justice” by the anti-graft court. (with report from Clay Pardilla and Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
-jpv
