The Sandiganbayan has issued a preliminary attachment order covering 16 properties owned by former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co and his wife, Mylene Co, in connection with graft and malversation charges tied to a ₱215-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
The anti-graft court’s Fifth Division approved the prosecution’s motion filed on January 30, stressing the need to secure ₱215,331,394.47 in potential civil liability. The order covers four properties in Makati City, eight in Pasig City, three in Quezon City, and one in Lipa City, Batangas.
In a 13-page resolution dated March 4, 2026, penned by Fifth Division chair Zaldy Trespeses with Associate Justices Maryann Corpus-Manalac and Gener Gito concurring, the court ruled that sufficient legal grounds existed to issue the writ of attachment.
“The present case squarely falls within the ambit of Section 2(b), Rule 127, as it is predicated on a claim involving public funds allegedly embezzled, fraudulently misapplied, or converted by the accused DPWH public officers in conspiracy with accused Co,” the ruling stated.
Co has been outside the country since July 2025 and has already been declared a fugitive from justice. The Sandiganbayan said he must first submit himself to the court’s jurisdiction if he intends to challenge the attachment order.
The former lawmaker faces graft and non-bailable malversation charges along with several officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and members of the board of Sunwest Corporation.
The charges stem from the allegedly anomalous flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, which prosecutors claim involved the misuse of public funds.