Zaldy Co accosted with expired passport, says DOJ chief

Zaldy Co was carrying an expired passport when he was accosted by authorities two weeks ago, Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida told reporters on Monday.

Philippine officials have said that Co was detained because he lacked proper documentation as he tried to cross into Germany from the Czech Republic.

“When we double-checked with records available to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Mr. Zaldy Co was issued three passports,” Vida said in a news conference in Prague.

“The one which he was carrying was the one that expired on September 11, 2022. That was the one he was in possession of when he was accosted,” he added.

The other two passports were his official passport as a member of the House of Representatives and another that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced in December had been canceled.

The canceled passport was initially valid until 2032.

Vida said the Czech side mentioned a police cooperation agreement that would have helped in the issue of Co.

“Ang parang sinasabi nila, kung meron lang tayo n’un,” Vida said.

(It appears that they were saying it would have helped in this matter.)

The former House appropriations panel chair and ex-Ako Bicol solon is facing malversation and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan over an alleged substandard P289 million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

In the same briefing, Vida announced that Co is no longer in the custody of Czech authorities.

The acting justice secretary made the announcement after almost an hour of meeting with Czech officials.

On April 16, Marcos announced on his social media accounts that Co had been caught without proper documentation and placed in the custody of the Czech Republic.

The President – who earlier vowed that the government will exert efforts to bring Co home – has been informed of the development.

“I have to share difficult news. Czech authorities have informed us that Mr. Zaldy Co is no longer in their custody,” Vida, adding that he was disappointed by the news.

The acting justice secretary said Co is still in the Schengen area but admitted that they were not told where the former lawmaker went and which part of the Czech Republic he exited from.

Vida said Czech authorities cited “Schengen rules and data privacy provisions” for the limited information.

The former solon was reportedly with his family when they were stopped for a random check at the border as they entered Germany from the Czech Republic.

According to a source, the Co family were in a car with French license plates driven by a French driver when they went through the border checkpoint. –NB, GMA News