Zaldy Co no longer under Czech custody, says DOJ

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly two weeks after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Zaldy Co had been captured in the Czech Republic, Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said on Monday, April 27, that the former lawmaker is no longer under Czech custody.

“I have to share difficult news, mga kababayan (my fellow Filipinos). Czech authorities have informed us that Mr. Zaldy Co is no longer in their custody,” Vida said in a press briefing at the Philippine embassy in Prague.

The justice chief could not provide the exact whereabouts of the ex-Ako Bicol representative, who was once chairman of the House’s powerful appropriations committee and whose business empire has been linked to allegedly anomalous government infrastructure projects.

“What we can confirm is that he is within the Schengen area,” Vida said, referring to an area encompassing 25 European Union member states and four non-EU countries — Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Asked why he could not name a specific country in Schengen, Vida replied, “Because that information was not relayed to us.”

Co’s point of exit from the Czech Republic, and when he left the Central European country, was also not relayed to Philippine authorities.

But Vida confirmed to reporters that the former lawmaker appears to be traveling by land. The Czech Republic shares borders with Germany, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia.

“We are working across sovereign borders. Every country has its own laws, processes, and timelines, and we cannot compel a foreign government to act outside its legal framework. What we can do is work within those frameworks as aggressively as the law allows,” Vida also said.

Marcos first announced on April 16 that Co had been detained in the Czech Republic, and that the Philippines would closely coordinate with the Czech government “to arrange for his return…at the soonest possible time.”

Czech police confirmed to Rappler in an email in their local language on April 17 that an “intervention” involving Co took place.

Marcos also provided more details on April 17, saying that Co was “stopped at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic,” but he was “denied entry and returned to Czech authorities.” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told ABS-CBN that Co was arrested for not having a passport.

Co’s passport was canceled in December 2025 after the Sandiganbayan in November 2025 issued arrest warrants against him and others facing graft and malversation cases over a flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

The Philippines’ request to the International Criminal Police Organization for the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against Co has been pending since November 2025. An Interpol Red Notice would allow “law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action,” but “member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.”

On April 20, Marcos again vowed to “bring Zaldy Co home…in accordance with the law.”

But by Friday, April 24, Vida already admitted there was no guarantee that Co was still in the Czech Republic. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also clarified on the same day that the fugitive ex-lawmaker was “not technically arrested.”

“For analogy, it’s similar to a situation in the airport where the person arrives and immigration denies entry or excludes the person. Technically, not arrested but there is a deprivation of liberty to a certain degree,” DOJ spokesperson Prosecutor Rafael Martinez told reporters.

Malacañang insisted on Monday that Marcos’ initial “nahuli na” announcement on April 16 meant Co had been “caught” in a “very general” sense, and not that he had been “arrested.” But even the Presidential Communications Office used “arrested in Prague” in the first version of its press release, which it later revised to “in Czech custody.” – Rappler.com