PNP readies for Zaldy Co’s return

National

By MyTVCebu Desk

FORMER lawmaker Zaldy Co will be turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) upon his arrival in the Philippines before being transferred to the Sandiganbayan, authorities said in a Philstar report.

Randulf Tuaño, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police, said the police force is prepared to take custody of Co once he is returned by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Tuaño said Co will undergo standard procedures, including a medical examination and booking.

After processing, Co will be handed over to the Sandiganbayan, which will determine the facility where he will be detained.

There is still no confirmed date for his return to the country.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Co remains under the custody of authorities in the Czech Republic. He added that the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been instructed to coordinate with Czech officials to ensure proper legal procedures are followed.

Co was supposedly arrested in Prague after entering the Czech Republic without proper documentation. He had been in hiding since mid-2025.

The Sandiganbayan issued a warrant of arrest against Co in November 2025 in connection with a ₱289.5 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro involving the construction of a road dike along the Mag-asawang Tubig River. The court later canceled his passport and declared him a fugitive.(Georgia Olivar, USJ-R Comm Intern)