MANILA: Fugitive Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, who was captured in the Czech Republic after nine months in hiding abroad, may return to Manila within one to three weeks, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
The former lawmaker is considered one of the alleged masterminds behind the trillion-peso flood control and infrastructure anomalies in 2025.
In a radio interview on Friday, Remulla said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with Czech authorities for Co’s deportation.
“Maybe in as little as one week, but it could take as long as three weeks. That depends on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)—they’re really the lead on this, not me; I’m just coordinating,” he said over a DZMM interview.
However, Remulla noted a minor “complication” in Co’s arrest.
“Because his deportation order is based on a cancelled passport—he didn’t have his Portuguese passport with him. He wasn’t carrying anything… it’s like he became complacent. So when he was arrested there, it was noted that he had no travel documents. The DFA informed them that he was a wanted person,” he explained.
Upon arrival, Co will undergo a complete physical examination at Camp Crame in Quezon City to determine whether he is fit for trial.
He will then be detained at the Sandiganbayan, undergo arraignment, and face a ruling on whether his charges are bailable.
(The Sandiganbayan is a special court with jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and such other offenses committed by public officers and employees, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations.)
On Thursday evening (April 16), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Co had been arrested in the Czech Republic.
“He is now detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation and is currently in the custody of Czech authorities,” Marcos posted on his official Facebook account.
He also said Manila was in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes were followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines “at the soonest possible time.”
“We will keep the public informed as developments unfold,” he added.
Co, former chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, which oversees the national budget, left the country after being implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal and had been on the run since July 2025, when he initially cited medical treatment in the United States.
He was later declared a fugitive from justice after failing to submit to the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan, which issued arrest warrants against him and 17 others in November 2025 over alleged irregularities in a P289.4-million (US$4.8 million) road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The former lawmaker faces graft and malversation (corrupt behaviour in a position of trust, especially in public office) charges tied to the flood control controversy.
Investigators alleged that the Naujan project was grossly substandard and was covered up by false certifications that allowed payments to the contractor. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
