By Lane Afable, News Editor
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced he will travel to Portugal to secure the possible repatriation of Zaldy Co, a fugitive from justice.
A key itinerary of his Portugal trip is to meet
with officials of the Portuguese government to seek assistance for the possible return of Co to the country.
Co, a former representative of Ako Bicol Partylist, is wanted by the the Philippine government for string of non-bailable crimes of malversation of public funds through falsification, plunder, and graft and corruption in connection to billions of pesos in allege highly-anomalous flood control projects at the Department of Public Works and Highwayd.
Remulla claimed that based on intelligence reports, Co has sought sanctuary in Portugal to evade from justice after leaving the Philippines last year.
The former solon is reported to be a holder of a Portuguese passport; thus a Portuguese citizen.
It is reported that Portugal and the Philippines has no formal extradition treaty, a legal issue that complicates the repatriation of Co.
Nevertheless, Remulla said soonest he will approach and seek help from the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime to request Interpol to issue a Red Notice against Co.
Properties of Co e.g. Misibis Bay, Midas Casino, two houses in Forbes, and houses in Valle Verde and Shangri-La are all under government freeze order.
