A former party-list lawmaker is facing damaging testimony after the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) revealed before the Sandiganbayan that he allegedly received ₱802 million from a construction firm linked to a controversial project in Oriental Mindoro.
During trial proceedings, AMLC lawyer Jan Mark Busa disclosed that the funds were traced to Sunwest Construction through a series of check deposits made between 2019 and 2025.
The testimony directly implicates former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, with prosecutors arguing that the financial trail supports their claim that he maintained control over the company despite earlier assertions that he had severed ties with Sunwest.
“Co has no direct participation in the transaction (of the project) because the one contracting with the DPWH is Sunwest. But the fact that he’s the beneficial owner, which we are trying to prove, essentially shows that the benefits and amounts went to him,” the prosecution panel said.
The case stems from a ₱289-million flood mitigation project in Naujan, which authorities suspect was never implemented. Among the charges filed in connection with the project is malversation.