ASEANEWS HEADLINE-FLOOD ONTROL CORRUPTION | Zaldy on the run again, seeks asylum in France

MANILA, Philippines — The excitement turned out to be short-lived.

Nearly two weeks after President Marcos’ announcement of Zaldy Co’s supposed detention in Prague, the fugitive former lawmaker, who is at the center of the flood control scam, is again on the run.

At a press briefing yesterday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed that Co is no longer in the Czech Republic and that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has received “reliable information” that he is seeking political asylum in France on the grounds of “political persecution.”

“I do not know the timeline, the date when the petition for asylum was filed. But before everything happened, there were efforts to track him and to bring him back here so he can answer the allegations of malversation, that he allegedly stole from public funds. There is no political persecution. That is clear,” Castro said.

“He has been requested to be transferred to and is now under the jurisdiction of French authorities,” Castro said. “All missions in Europe have been instructed to obtain further official confirmation.”

The President, she added, will not intervene in Co’s asylum bid. But she said the Chief Executive is scheduled to meet with the ambassador of France and the Czech Republic’s chargé d’affaires today to discuss ways to bring Co back to the Philippines.

Among the issues to be tackled are the assistance that other countries may provide as well as possible shortcomings, although Castro maintained that the government has done all it could to process Co’s return.

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“The government’s resolve remains strong. We will work with foreign governments through every legal channel available under international laws to bring Zaldy Co home and face the graft and malversation cases filed against him. We will do everything in accordance with the law and diplomatic processes,” she said.

Castro said Co is allowed to move around the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries.

Disappointed

Asked how President Marcos reacted to the development, Castro replied: “We talked to the President today and he said he was disappointed because we were close to bringing Co home.”

“But since there are other countries involved, it appears that his only violation was the use of invalid documentation. So the Czech Republic was the one who issued an order on what to do with Zaldy Co,” she added.

Castro also clarified that the three-week timeframe for the return of Co came from Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, not from the President or Malacañang.

Despite his disappointment, Marcos is not pointing fingers at anyone and is “satisfied” with the efforts to secure Co’s return to the Philippines.

“For now, the President does not blame anyone because all officials involved here… did their work well,” Castro said.

The administration, nevertheless, is concerned that high-profile fugitives are taking the asylum route to evade accountability and responsibility.

“That is in our mind, that is also in the President’s mind, because some fugitives use it as a last resort to delay their return to the Philippines, so it is not a good sign,” Castro said.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida also confirmed Co’s exit from the Czech Republic after meeting with Czech authorities on April 27 in Prague.

“I have to share difficult news, mga kababayan. The Czech authorities have informed us that Mr. Zaldy Co is no longer in their custody,” he said at a press briefing at the Philippine embassy in Prague.

Vida said Co was held by authorities on April 16 due to immigration violations but was subsequently released. The exact date of his release, however, is unclear. The Philippine delegation to Prague sent primarily to secure Co’s return was only informed of his release during its meeting with Czech authorities. Details of Co’s exit were not divulged to Philippine authorities.

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“We are working across sovereign borders. Every country has its own laws, processes and timelines, and we cannot compel a foreign government to act outside its legal framework. What we can do is work within those frameworks as aggressively as the law allows,” Vida said.

Three passports

The justice chief explained that Co was carrying an expired passport, which lapsed on Sept. 11, 2022, when he was held by Czech authorities, adding that the former lawmaker had three passports: an official passport issued during his term as congressman, a current passport already canceled by the Sandiganbayan and the expired 2022 passport.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said there’s no need to cancel Co’s Philippine passport because it was already expired anyway.

Vida admitted that Co was able to cross borders despite lacking a valid passport, noting that inspections are rare at land borders within the Schengen zone.

He added the Philippine government is still awaiting a decision from the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol on its request for a red notice against Co, which was filed in November last year.

“We already filed our application in November with the Interpol secretariat for a red notice against Mr. Co, and we are awaiting Interpol’s evaluation. Once issued, the red notice would enable any member-country to detain and return him through extradition or deportation,” he said.

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“Voluminous documents” have been sent to the Interpol for the red notice request against Co, according to Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) executive director Romeo Prestoza. “We have already sent it to the secretariat (in) Lyon, France. And we expect now, with those voluminous talaga na documents which they need, we expect they can eventually grant us,” he said.

.Co’s passport was canceled in December 2025 after the Sandiganbayan in November 2025 issued arrest warrants against him for graft and malversation cases over a P289.5-million substandard flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

He said the former lawmaker appears to be traveling by land. The Czech Republic shares borders with Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.

“Definitely, he was traveling by land. We are also aware that we received information regarding the vehicle’s registry. We also got information as to the driver,” he said. — Daphne Galvez, Ghio Ong, Pia Lee-Brago

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