The Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified on Friday that former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co was not arrested in the Czech Republic, correcting an earlier announcement made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Justice Spokesperson Polo Martinez explained that the situation involving the former lawmaker had been mischaracterized.
According to Martinez, Czech authorities simply notified Philippine officials after locating Co within their borders, rather than taking him into legal custody.
“We have to be careful with the nomenclature. He was not arrested. When Zaldy Co was found in the Czech Republic, their government notified the Philippines,” Martinez said.
The clarification centers on the limitations of international legal authority.
Martinez noted that because the charges against Co originated in the Philippines, Czech police lacked the legal basis to execute an arrest.
“The Czech Republic cannot lawfully arrest Zaldy Co because he has no outstanding warrant there. The case is pending in the Philippines. So these are two different jurisdictions,” he added.
The confusion followed a statement from President Marcos, who initially confirmed that Co had been “arrested” after an alleged attempt to enter Germany without proper travel documentation.
The President had also indicated that a high-level team would be dispatched to Prague to coordinate Co’s potential repatriation.
Co is currently facing an arrest order from the Sandiganbayan involving charges of graft and malversation of public funds. The case stems from a ₱289.5 million “ghost” road dike project located in Oriental Mindoro.
While Co remains located abroad, the DOJ emphasizes that his return to the Philippines remains a matter of coordination between the two jurisdictions rather than a completed foreign arrest.