The Tamesis
April 28, 2026
Manila – Justice Minister Fredderick Vida confirmed that former Rep. Zaldy Co is no longer detained in the Czech Republic.
“I have to tell Kababayan that the Czech authorities have confirmed to us that Zardi is no longer in custody,” Vidal told a news conference at the Philippine Embassy in Prague.
Vida explained that Co was indeed accosted on April 16 for violating immigration laws, but was later released.
When was he released? Vida said their “listening post” informed them upon their arrival in the Czech Republic that Co remained in custody.
“We have listening posts. We are talking to some people. But the Czech authorities have not released anything official. That is why we are waiting for that meeting in advance (Monday at 2 p.m. Czech time),” he added.
Although Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant for Coe and was declared a fugitive, Vida acknowledged that Coe was free in Europe.
“Yes, he’s free,” he said, but remained confident authorities would catch Coe again because “his world is getting smaller.”
Currently, Vidal said there is “actionable intelligence” that Co remains within the Schengen zone, a group of 29 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and other types of border controls at each other’s borders.
Vida said that when Czech authorities first accosted Co on April 16, he was holding an expired passport (expired on September 11, 2022).
The Justice Secretary said Co obtained three different passports: 1. An official passport issued when he was a member of Congress; 2. A valid passport that had been canceled by the Sandiganbayan, and 3. An expired 2022 passport.
However, Vida admitted that companies managed to cross the border despite not having a passport because, unlike airports, there are very few physical checks at land borders within the Schengen zone.
“What we can confirm is that he is within the Schengen area,” the secretary explained.
“There is no doubt that he traveled by land. We also know that we received information about the registration of the vehicle. We also received information about the driver,” Vidal said.
However, Philippine authorities declined to reveal further details as the operation is ongoing.
“The goal is to make his world smaller… If I tell you he is in Quiapo, he will leave Quiapo. What I can tell you is he is in the Schengen area,” Vida said.
The Czech Republic shares its closest land borders with Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia. /cb /Mr.
