the National Bureau of Investigation of the Philippines (NBI) requested an Interpol Red Notice be issued against former Ako Bicol Congress representative Zaldy Co.
An Interpol Red Notice seeks a person’s provisional arrest for extradition or similar legal action and is often described as an “international warrant,” Rappler reports, though it does not require countries to arrest the subject.
Palmer Mallari, the NBI spokesperson, said a Red Notice had been sought since November 23, when the Office of the Ombudsman filed two graft cases under Republic Act (RA) 3019 and one malversation case involving alleged falsification of public documents against Co and other officials, in relation to a flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, according to the Manila Bulletin. Rappler reports that the charges are now pending before the Sandiganbayan, the Philippines’ anti-graft court, which has issued warrants for all the accused.
On December 10, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revoked Co’s passport, removing Co’s legal basis to stay in another country and requested the Philippine National Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs to track him down. The Department of Justice said it has not yet confirmed whether a Red Notice has been issued for Co, according to the Daily Tribune.
He left the country around the time the 20th Congress began its session in July. Recently, he released short videos accusing President Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of allegedly inserting 100 billion Philippine pesos worth of projects into the 2025 budget, according to Rappler.
