Manila, Philippines — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday night that a key suspect corruption scandal that sparked public outrage He has been arrested in the Czech Republic and efforts are underway to bring the former MLA back to the Philippines.
Zaldy Co., who resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being embroiled in financial irregularities involving flood control projects, was detained by authorities in Prague after entering the Central European country without proper documentation, Marcos said without elaborating.
“We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal procedures are followed and to arrange for their return to the Philippines as soon as possible,” Marcos said in a statement.
The Philippines has no extradition treaty with the Czech Republic and Marcos did not explain how his government would seek custody of the company. Philippine authorities have revoked the company’s passport and sought Interpol’s help to locate and arrest the wealthy former lawmaker.
The company is one of several powerful legislators, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Senate President Francis Escudero, who were accused of taking huge bribes from flood control projects in the Asian archipelago. deadly floods and storms.
The company, Romualdez, Escudero and other legislators have denied any wrongdoing but have come under investigation. Several former government engineers and public works officials, wealthy construction company executives and a former senator have been detained, facing trial on corruption charges.
At least 9,855 flood control projects worth more than 545 billion pesos ($9 billion) that were launched after Marcos took office in mid-2022 came under scrutiny. Many were found to be substandard, overpriced, or not manufactured at all.
In September, then-Finance Secretary Ralph Recto told a congressional hearing that 118.5 billion pesos (about $2 billion) meant for flood control projects through 2023 had been lost to corruption.
The scale of the discrepancies and news reports showing some of the suspects’ lavish lifestyles and fleets of expensive European cars led to massive anti-corruption protests last year in the country where millions still live in dire poverty.
