Overview
- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed late Thursday that ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co was detained in Prague after entering the Czech Republic without proper papers.
- Marcos said German authorities blocked Co at the border and sent him back to Czech custody, where he remains held.
- Malacañang says it is working with Prague on Co’s return, though the countries lack an extradition treaty and officials in Manila say transfer could take one to three weeks.
- Co was charged in November under the anti-graft law tied to flood-control contracts, and Philippine officials canceled his passport and sought Interpol’s help to track him.
- The probe covers 9,855 flood projects worth more than 545 billion pesos that audits found were substandard, overpriced, or never built, fueling protests and fresh pressure for hearings to restart.