Justice chief Vida to fly to Czech Republic for Zaldy Co's return

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said he will fly to the Czech Republic to process the return of former lawmaker Zaldy Co.

In a chance interview with reporters on Wednesday, April 22, Vida said he will travel with Chief State Counsel Dennis Chan on Thursday, April 23.

"I don’t have the details yet, but tomorrow, I will be flying," Vida said.

When asked whom he would meet in the Czech Republic, the justice chief said that "details will come along."

Vida earlier said at a press conference on April 21 that the Department of Justice would invoke the United Nations Convention Against Corruption to facilitate Co’s return to the Philippines.

On April 16, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Co, who had been in hiding since mid-2025, was detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation.

In November 2025, the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant of arrest against Co over a P289.5-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro, specifically the construction of a road dike along the Mag-asawang Tubig River.

A month later, the anti-graft court canceled his passport and declared him a fugitive.

The Philippine National Police earlier said there is still no exact date for Co's return.