MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has requested an Interpol Red Notice against former lawmaker Zaldy Co, potentially facilitating his arrest from overseas.
Interpol Red Notice Requested for Former Lawmaker
NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari confirmed to Rappler on Friday, December 12, that the request was made to Interpol as early as November 23. The request comes after the Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation cases against Co and 17 others from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Mimaropa and Sunwest Corporation over an anomalous flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The charges are currently pending with the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, which has already issued warrants for the arrest of all those accused. An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, based on an arrest warrant or court order.
While considered an “international warrant,” Interpol cannot compel member countries to arrest a subject based on a Red Notice; member-states retain independence in deciding whether to act on the notice.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on December 10 that Co’s passport has been cancelled, removing his legal basis to remain in another country. The President also ordered the Philippine National Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs to track down Co, who has been out of the country since July.
Co has been a focal point in the government’s flood control scandal due to his previous role as appropriations chairperson of the House of Representatives and his long-time connection to Sunwest Corporation, the construction firm he founded. Sunwest secured billions of pesos in projects while he chaired the House appropriations committee.
Recently, Co released a series of videos accusing President Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of allegedly masterminding the insertion of P100 billion worth of projects in the 2025 budget, and accused Marcos of receiving kickbacks. Malacañang has categorically denied these accusations.
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