President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself announced Co’s capture in the Czech Republic on April 16. The resigned Ako Bicol lawmaker — who has been a fugitive for months now — is facing malversation and graft cases for alleged flood control corruption in Oriental Mindoro. Marcos even promised Co’s “return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time.” Rappler was able to independently verify with Czech authorities Co’s “intervention” in the European country due to an alleged immigration violation.

Nahuli na si Zaldy Co. He is now detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation and is currently in the custody of Czech authorities.We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed…— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) April 16, 2026 But a week later, Philippine authorities remained tight-lipped about Co’s whereabouts. Do we at least have assurances that he’s still in the Czech Republic?

“There’s no such guarantee,” Vida said. So, is there a possibility that he may have already left the European country? “Possibly,” said the acting DOJ chief.

So… arrested or not? The Marcos government is also unsure about the term to use in referring to Co’s intervention. On Friday, the DOJ clarified that Co was not “technically arrested” by Czech authorities.

“While he was not technically arrested, his liberty was restrained. For analogy, it’s similar to a situation in the airport where the person arrives and immigration denies entry or excludes the person. Technically, not arrested but there is a deprivation of liberty to a certain degree,” DOJ spokesperson Prosecutor Rafael Martinez told reporters.

So is being caught not the same as being arrested? Did the DOJ contradict the President’s earlier messaging? If you ask Malacañang, there’s no contradiction at all.

“The President and Secretary Vida’s statements were clear. There was no contradiction. The word ‘arrest’ did not come from the President.

What the President had said was Zaldy Co was under Czech Republic’s custody due to lack of proper documentation. Zaldy Co was caught due to immigration concerns,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro explained in Filipino. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) — an office under Marcos — referred to the intervention against Co as an “arrest” in its April 16 press release.

The PCO, however, already updated the said communication and replaced the word “arrest” with “custody.” While the Marcos government is unsure about Co’s whereabouts and the term to use in referring to his case, one thing is certain: he is still a fugitive from justice who has yet to face a Philippine court for his alleged corruption. To this day, the Philippine government, led by Marcos, remains unsuccessful in bringing home one of the biggest names in the flood control scandal. – Rappler.com