Zaldy Co Hunt Moves to France as Remulla Renews Interpol Bid — But One Crucial Approval Is Still Missing
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is escalating its international effort to bring former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co back to the country, with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla preparing to travel to Lyon, France, to personally follow up on Manila’s request for an Interpol Red Notice.
The move comes as Co faces a fresh arrest warrant in a ₱7.44-billion plunder case tied to alleged kickbacks from flood-control and other government infrastructure projects—adding a major new legal development to an international manhunt that has stretched across Europe for months.
“We are filing a red notice for Zaldy Co again,” Remulla said at a press briefing Tuesday, adding that his trip to Lyon would allow him to coordinate directly with Interpol. His brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, is separately expected to engage French authorities through diplomatic and legal channels.
That distinction is important. Despite repeated Philippine requests, Interpol has not yet issued a Red Notice against Co, according to the latest statements from authorities. Earlier this year, the National Bureau of Investigation submitted supplemental documents after Interpol sought additional information before deciding on Manila’s request.
New ₱7.44-billion plunder case raises the stakes
The renewed international push follows the filing of a plunder case against Co, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and two other accused before the Sandiganbayan.
According to the criminal information reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, prosecutors allege that Romualdez and Co repeatedly received commissions, kickbacks and other financial benefits amounting to at least ₱7.44 billion on 15 or more occasions. The money was allegedly connected to contractors and entities with interests in flood-control, infrastructure and other government projects funded from 2022 to 2025.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division subsequently issued warrants for Romualdez, Co and their co-accused. Romualdez was served his warrant while confined at a private hospital in San Juan City. Co remains abroad.
The charges are allegations that must still be proven in court. Co has previously denied accusations linking him to irregularities in government infrastructure projects, including claims that he received billions of pesos in flood-control payoffs.
Co was already declared a fugitive in another case
The latest plunder case is not the first criminal proceeding that prompted authorities to pursue Co internationally.
The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division earlier declared him a fugitive from justice in connection with graft and malversation charges involving an allegedly substandard ₱289-million road-dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The anti-graft court ruled in February that Co could not participate in proceedings or seek judicial relief until he surrendered. His lawyers argued that he had not been convicted, had left the Philippines before charges were filed and remained abroad partly because of concerns for his safety.
The Philippine government's previous Red Notice request was pursued in connection with that earlier case, with the NBI supplying additional documentation to Interpol in February.
From Prague to Paris
Co's whereabouts have generated months of conflicting and shifting reports.
In April, he was held at an immigration detention facility in Prague after reportedly encountering problems with his travel documents before eventually being released. By May, Philippine officials said diplomatic information pointed to Co being in France.
The Philippine Embassy in Paris said at the time that it had strong reason to believe Co was in France, although Ambassador Eduardo de Vega stressed there had been no officially confirmed physical sighting. Philippine diplomats also could not simply arrest or conduct surveillance on him because any enforcement action on French territory would have to be undertaken by French authorities.
Reports also emerged that Co was seeking asylum in France, although French authorities had not publicly confirmed such an application because of privacy restrictions.
Ombudsman Remulla said this week that he plans to engage French officials as part of a broader diplomatic effort surrounding individuals wanted or investigated in the Philippines.
Why a Red Notice matters—but does not guarantee an arrest
A crucial point often lost in coverage is that an Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
Interpol defines it as a request to police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person pending extradition, surrender or another legal process. Each member country decides under its own laws whether the person can actually be arrested.
That means even if Interpol approves Manila’s renewed request, Co would not automatically be placed on a plane to the Philippines.
French authorities would still have to deal with questions involving domestic law, international cooperation, any immigration or asylum proceedings and the applicable procedure for returning him to the Philippines.
That is why the Remulla brothers’ separate missions could prove significant: Jonvic Remulla is pursuing the international police-cooperation route in Lyon, while Ombudsman Remulla is taking the diplomatic and prosecutorial route with French authorities.
The next turning point, therefore, is not simply whether Philippine officials can determine where Co is.
It is whether Interpol approves the Red Notice—and what France decides to do afterward.
WWC ONE MEDIA M.J.E