MANILA, Philippines — A former Philippine legislator at the center of a massive corruption investigation has been taken into custody in Prague, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who announced Thursday evening that his administration is working to bring the suspect back to the Philippines.
Zaldy Co, who stepped down from his position in the House of Representatives this past September following accusations of financial misconduct related to flood control infrastructure projects, was apprehended by Czech authorities after entering the country with inadequate documentation, the president stated without providing additional details.
“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,” Marcos said in a statement.
The absence of an extradition agreement between the Philippines and the Czech Republic complicates efforts to secure Co’s return, though Marcos did not specify the legal strategy his administration plans to pursue. Philippine authorities have already revoked Co’s passport and requested assistance from Interpol to track down and apprehend the affluent former representative.
Co is among multiple high-ranking legislators, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Senate President Francis Escudero, who face allegations of receiving substantial illegal payments from flood control infrastructure contracts in a nation frequently devastated by flooding and tropical storms.
While Co, Romualdez, Escudero and other officials have rejected the accusations, they remain under official investigation. Multiple former government engineers, public works administrators, construction company leaders and a former senator are currently in custody awaiting trial on corruption-related charges.
Investigators have examined no fewer than 9,855 flood control infrastructure projects valued at over 545 billion pesos ($9 billion) that were scheduled for completion since Marcos assumed the presidency in mid-2022. Audits revealed that numerous projects were poorly constructed, inflated in cost, or never actually built.
During a September congressional hearing, then-Finance Secretary Ralph Recto testified that approximately 118.5 billion pesos (nearly $2 billion) earmarked for flood control infrastructure may have been stolen through corruption since 2023.
The enormous scope of the financial irregularities, combined with media coverage exposing the extravagant lifestyles and collections of luxury European vehicles owned by some defendants, triggered widespread anti-corruption demonstrations throughout the previous year in a nation where countless citizens continue to endure severe poverty.
