DOJ steps up efforts to retrieve Co
Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida was expected to leave for the Czech Republic on Thursday to explore various legal options, including a request for deportation or extradition, to speed up the return to the Philippines of former House lawmaker Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed the trip of Vida, who will meet with his counterparts in determining how the Philippine government could force Co to face the charges filed before him in the Sandiganbayan. Vida will be accompanied by chief state counsel Dennis Chan.
Co, one of the key figures in the flood control corruption scandal, is facing three warrants of arrest issued by the Sandiganbayan in November for graft and malversation charges in connection with an allegedly anomalous P289-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
He left the country in July 2025 to undergo a medical checkup. The former Ako Bicol party list representative resigned from the House of Representatives later in September after his travel clearance was revoked over his failure to come home and answer allegations about his involvement in questionable insertions in the national budget and “ghost” or subpar government infrastructure projects.
On April 16, President Marcos announced that Co was arrested by Czech authorities at the border after he tried to enter from Germany without the necessary documents.
Legal options
In a statement, the DOJ said the legal avenues open to the government include “deportation, extradition and the invocation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, to which both the Philippines and the Czech Republic are signatories.”
In a previous interview, Vida could not elaborate on the other options available to facilitate Co’s return but he narrowed down the top choices to deportation and extradition.
The DOJ’s approach, Vida said, would be in keeping with Czech laws and judicial processes, including observing limitations set by data privacy rules.
He also brushed aside doubts about Co’s arrest amid the absence of documentary proof such as photos of the former lawmaker being held by Czech authorities.
“There is a rule in the EU (European Union) on data privacy so there’s no document [or] picture confirming [Co’s arrest]. So they neither confirmed or denied … and we respect this process,” Vida said.
The EU implements a General Data Protection Regulation, which regulates the disclosure of personal information about individuals within the territory, including foreigners arrested there.
