DOJ to request Interpol blue notice vs Zaldy Co
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice is set to request the issuance of a blue notice from the Interpol on Rep. Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol) as the embattled lawmaker faces a September 29 deadline to return to the Philippines.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed this to reporters on Friday, September 26.
"To give us information on the whereabouts... Person of interest 'yan. Interpol is being notified he is the subject of a criminal investigation," the DOJ secretary said in an interview.
A blue notice is an Interpol alert used to collect information about a person's identity, location, or activities in relation to a crime. This is different from a red notice, which is for locating individuals for arrest.
The move comes as House Speaker Bojie Dy warned Co will face "appropriate disciplinary and legal actions" if he fails to return by Monday.
Dy revoked Co's travel clearance on September 18, giving him 10 days to return.
Co is the lawmaker who once chaired the powerful House appropriations panel during the 19th Congress and is now one of several lawmakers accused of pocketing kickbacks from public works projects.
He has been abroad since early September and recently insisted in a September 25 letter that he has "every intention" of returning to face what he called "false and baseless" accusations.
Co also criticized Dy's decision to revoke his travel clearance in this letter, arguing that it "deprives" him of previously scheduled medical care and was made under political pressure.
An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order is already in place to monitor Co's movements.
Social media reports have recently surfaced showing Co's supposed travel itinerary to Spain and Singapore, though he claims to be in the United States for medical treatment.
But the lawmaker may be in France, Remulla said.
"(Nasa) Spain or France. A lot of text messages are coming in that he's [Co] in France," he told reporters.
What is Co accused of? Co earlier this week was accused in Senate hearings of receiving massive cash deliveries tied to flood control projects, based on the accounts of former DPWH engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza.
They alleged that more than P1 billion in cash was packed into over 20 suitcases and delivered in several vans to Co's penthouse at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taguig. They said deliveries later shifted to his residence in Valle Verde, Pasig.
In a separate testimony, Co's former security aide claimed that 35 suitcases containing an estimated P1.68 billion were transported from Co's properties to the Forbes Park home of then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The witnesses said the deliveries were handled by Co's aides and associates, with cash allegedly sourced from contractors' advance payments for infrastructure projects.
— with reports by Jean Mangaluz and Dominique Flores
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