Zaldy Co challenges Ombudsman resolution accusing him of graft

MANILA, Philippines — Former lawmaker Zaldy Co has filed a petition before the Supreme Court assailing the resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman indicting him for graft and malversation.

Co filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition before the high court on January 25, asking the Supreme Court to annul the Ombudsman resolution, which charged him over an Oriental Mindoro alleged ghost project.

Co is also asking the high court for a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to prevent the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan from proceeding with the criminal cases while the high court reviews the legality of the indictment.

In his petition, Co argues that the Ombudsman acted in an "arbitrary, despotic, and capricious manner" by ignoring an interim report from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which reportedly did not recommend his indictment.

Co also raised that he was deprived of his right to due process, claiming he was never served a subpoena through registered mail and was denied access to case records despite multiple requests.

The former lawmaker further contends that the Ombudsman's findings of "beneficial ownership" in the contracting firm, Sunwest, Inc., are flawed, saying that he divested his interests in Sunwest as early as May 2020 and was no longer a shareholder when the contract in question was executed.

He also clarified that his absence from the country during the initial hearings was due to an official medical leave for a heart ailment, rather than an attempt to flee prosecution.

The Sandiganbayan, which declared the former lawmaker a fugitive from justice, issued an arrest warrant against him in November 2025.

In Co's petition, it showed that his apostille was done in Sweden, which meant that he personally appeared before a Swedish notary public, who verified his identity and witnessed the signing of legal documents connected to the petition.