Sandiganbayan declares former congressman Zaldy Co a fugitive
Former congressman Zaldy Co is officially a fugitive.
In a court resolution posted on its website, the Sandiganbayan has declared the former Ako Bicol representative a "fugitive from justice."
"The Prosecution claims notwithstanding public calls from agencies, and given the highly publicized nature of this case, there is a reasonable presumption that the accused is fully aware of the warrants yet has decided to stay at large," the resolution read.
"As a result, he can be deemed a fugitive from justice,” the statement continued.
Sandiganbayan cited three incidents that led to the resolution, which include Co's non-compliance with the House of Representatives' order for him to return home after having his travel clearance revoked, refusal to comply with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure's subpoenas to appear before flood control hearings, and non-filing of an affidavit to the Ombudsman to address complaints against him.
The court also cited statements made by Co's legal counsel, Atty. Ruy Rondain, contributed to the decision. Rondain said he recommended that Co not come home and that the former lawmaker return only if granted house arrest or bail.
This follows after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that he had asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel Co's passport.
In November, a hold departure order and a warrant of arrest for Co were issued, wherein officials of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Interior and Local Government failed to locate his whereabouts and serve the warrant.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation cases against Co as well as several officials of the DPWH and Sunwest Inc. on Nov. 18 in connection with anomalies in a P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. The charges involved malversation of public funds through the falsification of public documents, violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and a co-violation of Section 3(h) of RA 3019.
Hearings at the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the ICI have revealed billions of pesos lost to corruption.
In November, Marcos told the public last month that there would be no happy holidays for officials involved, as he vowed jail time for them before the year ends.
