Czech authorities are detaining former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co at an immigration facility following his arrest in Prague, but the National Bureau of Investigation has clarified that no Interpol red notice was behind his apprehension.
NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag confirmed that Co was taken into custody for an immigration violation — not as a result of any international police alert — and said the bureau stands ready to act should repatriation orders be issued.
Co, who previously chaired the House Committee on Appropriations, was arrested Thursday evening. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the detention, saying Co had crossed into the Czech Republic without proper documentation. Marcos added on Friday that Co was stopped at the German border after entering from Czech territory.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the return of Co to the Philippines could take anywhere from a week to a month. The Philippine government is pursuing two parallel tracks to secure his repatriation: coordination with Prague authorities for deportation, and the activation of an Interpol red notice that Manila applied for in November 2025 but has yet to be approved.
“Kung mailabas yan, immediately, mababalik siya,” Remulla said, referring to the pending red notice application.
Marcos said Manila is in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure all legal procedures are observed in arranging Co’s return.
Co faces graft and malversation charges before the Sandiganbayan over an allegedly substandard P289 million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, constructed by Sunwest Corporation — a firm linked to members of his immediate family. A warrant of arrest had already been issued against him by the anti-graft court.
