Czech officials are mum about the arrest of Zaldy Co in Prague.
ZALDY CO ARRESTED – After President Bongbong Marcos confirmed this, the Czech officials refused to give more details.
“Nahuli na si Zaldy Co.”
This is what President Bongbong Marcos said as he confirmed Zaldy’s arrest, a key figure in the flood control scandal in the Philippines that involved billions of taxpayers’ money.
“We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time. We will keep the public informed as developments unfold,” the president added.
Co, the former chair of the House Committee on Appropriations tasked with overseeing the national budget, left the country after being linked to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. He has reportedly been in hiding since July 2025, when he initially said he was traveling to the United States for medical treatment.
Recently, ABS-CBN has contacted the Czech authorities regarding Co’s arrest, his place of detention, legal status, and the process governing his possible return to the Philippines. However, this inquiry was met with a refusal to answer the questions.
“We do not comment on individual cases,” the ministry said in response to the questioning. The Czech officials are mum about his arrest.
To recall, in December, his Philippine passport was canceled, but he was able to remain abroad using a foreign passport and a so-called “golden visa” from Portugal, as per reports.
In February 2026, the Sandiganbayan had declared him a fugitive after graft and malversation charges were filed in connection with a road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The Philippine government also coordinated with the International Criminal Police Organization to facilitate his arrest, amid complications due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the Philippines and Portugal, where he was believed to be staying in at that time.
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