In this September 2023 photo, Rep. Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol party-list) terminates the deliberation of the proposed budget of the Office of the President.HREP

Gov’t completes Interpol red notice bid vs Zaldy Co

28 Apr 2026, 12:00 by Ian Laqui · philstar

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) confirmed that all necessary documents for a red notice against fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co have been sent to the Interpol Secretariat.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, April 28 (Manila time) in Prague, Czech Republic, PCTC executive director Major General Romeo Prestoza said that the Philippine government has already submitted to the Interpol all the “voluminous documents” needed.

“We have to emphasize to the Interpol that he is facing all these really big cases, crimes. And a red notice is very much important, so it has to be released,” Prestoza said.

The PCTC chief announced this in the same press briefing where Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida announced that Co is no longer in the custody of the Czech authorities.

According to Vida, the government has been applying for a red notice with Interpol for the former lawmaker since November.

“We are awaiting Interpol's evaluation,” Vida said.

“Once issued, the red notice would enable any member country to detain and return him through extradition or deportation,” he added.

Vida also revealed that the Philippines and the Czech Republic are set to enter official talks for three law enforcement treaties, with an extradition pact being a key component of the negotiations.

“Both governments, the Czech government and the Philippine government, have also agreed to begin formal negotiations on a mutual legal assistance treaty, an extradition treaty, and a transfer of sentenced persons agreement,” Vida said.

An Interpol red notice is a request to law enforcement agencies in Interpol-member countries to locate and arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is not, however, an international arrest warrant.

On April 16, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Co, who had been in hiding since mid-2025, was detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation.