Zaldy Co is reportedly now detained in Prague after an arrest.
The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has been confirmed by President Bongbong Marcos Jr. on Thursday night.
After being wanted for months due to the flood control scandal, fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co has been arrested in Prague. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced this on Thursday night.
Co is now detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation and is currently in the custody of Czech authorities. Marcos said, “Nahuli na si Zaldy Co.”
“We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time. We will keep the public informed as developments unfold,” the president added.
The Philippine government is now coordinating with Czech authorities regarding his case and vowed to keep the public updated as developments unfold.
Co, the former chair of the House Committee on Appropriations responsible for overseeing the national budget, left the country after being implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. He has reportedly been in hiding since July 2025, when he initially claimed he was traveling to the United States for medical treatment.
Co, who served as chair of the House Appropriations Committee during the first half of the Marcos Jr. administration, is being accused of masterminding alleged irregularities in the national budget process.
Co has been in hiding since July 2025. Amid his hiding, he alleged that he made the budget insertions upon the orders of President Marcos Jr.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is “actively verifying this development through official channels and coordination with concerned agencies and international law enforcement partners.”
The PNP said it will support all necessary legal processes, including coordinating for his possible return to the Philippines.
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