The Philippine government is prepared to accelerate extradition agreements and deepen law enforcement cooperation with foreign governments to secure the return of Zaldy Co, the fugitive former lawmaker at the center of a major public works graft scandal, Malacañang announced Thursday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had already summoned the Czech Republic’s Chargé d’Affaires Eva Tenzin and French Ambassador Marie Fontanel to Manila on Wednesday to seek clarification on Co’s situation. Tenzin confirmed to Marcos that Czech authorities had detained Co due to invalid travel documents.
Co is currently in France, where he is seeking asylum on grounds of political persecution, even as he faces criminal charges in the Philippines linked to the public works corruption scandal.
“The president reaffirmed that the government will exhaust all legal and diplomatic means to bring back fugitive Zaldy Co back to the Philippines so he can face the graft and malversation cases filed against him here in the Philippines,” Castro said.
Marcos used the meetings with both envoys to underscore that no country should serve as a refuge for individuals with pending criminal cases, while also reaffirming the Philippines’ ties with both the Czech Republic and France, grounded in shared democratic values and respect for the rule of law.
Castro said the president had also signaled the government’s readiness to fast-track extradition frameworks with the countries involved to expedite the process.
