The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) will request Interpol’s issuance of a red notice against former congressman Zaldy Co, who faces criminal charges before the Sandiganbayan over the P289.5 million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
Co left the Philippines last July allegedly for a medical checkup and has not returned since then.
An Interpol’s red notice is a request to international law enforcement to locate and arrest a wanted person and his or her turnover to the requesting government.
Co, the directors of his Sunwest Corporation, and several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Region IV-B (DPWH-IV-B) have been criminally charged before the Sandiganbayan with graft and malversation of public funds.
No bail was recommended in the cases filed by the OMB on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
During an interview with DZMM’s “Gising Pilipinas,” Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic “Mico” F. Clavano said that they have requested the anti-graft court to immediately raffle off the three cases.
After the anti-graft court had raffled off the three cases, Clavano said that the court could already issue a warrant of arrest which would be used to apply for Interpol’s red notice.
With the red notice, he said that Co could be located, arrested, deported or extradited, he also said.
At the same time, Clavano said that with the arrest order the OMB can apply for the cancellation of Co’s passport so that the movements abroad of the resigned congressman could be limited and he could no longer travel from one country to another.
Once Co is turned over to the Philippine government, he will be detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) pending trial of the cases and if he is convicted, he will be detained at the facility of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice (DOJ), Clavano also said. (Czarina Ong Ki)
