Palace says DOJ to request Interpol for blue notice on Zaldy Co

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Friday that the Department of Justice would request the issuance of a blue notice on Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, who has been linked to alleged kickbacks from flood control projects and insertions in the national budget.

''Latest from DOJ... they will request a blue notice,'' Castro told Palace reporters.

A blue notice is for the collection of additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation, according to Interpol.

DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano confirmed that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla has given instructions to apply for a blue notice.

"This is based on the investigation of the Blue Ribbon Committee as well as the NBI recommendation to prosecute," Clavano told reporters.

Co, in several instances in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's hearings, was linked to kickbacks from allocations to ghost and substandard flood control projects.

Former Bulacan 1st assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez said Tuesday that he delivered an estimated P1 billion worth of money placed in suitcases to a staffer of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co

Hernandez said that the money were placed in over 20 suitcases and were delivered to the staffer of Co by six or seven vans in a hotel in Taguig City. He said that one suitcase carried around P50 million. –NB, GMA Integrated News