MANILA: The government is racing to address a major procedural gap that allowed former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep Zaldy Co to walk free after he was accosted by Czech authorities in Prague on April 16 but was later released due to the absence of an international arrest warrant or an International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Red Notice.
An Interpol Red Notice is a global alert to locate and provisionally detain a person pending extradition or similar legal action, based on a valid arrest warrant from the requesting country.
“If there is a Red Notice, that serves as an arrest warrant. So, the obligation of the 196 member countries of Interpol is to detain that person,” Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said.
The Philippines has already made a request for a Red Notice on Co as early as November last year, but no action has yet been taken, according to Vida.
To address the delay, a team led by Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) executive director Major General Romeo Prestoza conducted due diligence to overhaul the application.
Vida said the team had to “double back” and review previous successful Red Notice applications to determine why the current request had stalled.
The country’s recent submissions to the Interpol Secretariat now include records from the Commission on Audit (COA), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Sandiganbayan, along with detailed explanations showing that the corruption and malversation charges against Co are recognized in European jurisdictions.
Vida added that the PCTC, which serves as the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, is currently undermanned.
“We need to empower NCB Manila so they can deliver,” Vida said, noting that Prestoza only assumed his post last April.
Co, who has been declared a fugitive and ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan, was accosted by Czech authorities on April 16 for violating immigration laws.
“From the moment we received information on his whereabouts, the Philippine government moved as quickly as we could. We coordinated with international authorities and the President dispatched this mission to Prague,” Vida said in a press conference following a meeting with Czech authorities on Monday (early Tuesday in Manila).
However, Co was subsequently released from custody. The Philippine delegation was only informed of this during their meeting on Monday (April 27).
Asked when and why Co was released, Vida said Czech authorities refused to provide further details, citing “stringent rules and data privacy provisions.”
Another issue cited by Czech authorities is the lack of a police cooperation agreement between the Philippines and the Czech Republic, which remains under negotiation.
Vida also said their counterparts pointed to the absence of an international arrest warrant or Interpol Red Notice.
Vida said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was already informed of the situation.
From Prague, Vida will travel to Rome for the International Conference on the Safeguarding of Women, Children, and Other Vulnerable Adults.
“This is a forum initiated together with our good Cardinal, Cardinal Tagle,” Vida said. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
