Arrest of Philippine ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co ‘missing puzzle piece’ in flood-control probe

The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects.Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it.Co resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being implicated in the scandal. He was detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation, Marcos announced on Thursday night.The Philippines has no extradition treaty with the Czech Republic, and officials said Co’s return could take one to three weeks.Zaldy Co was detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation. Photo: Captured off YouTubeInterior Secretary Jonvic Remulla called Co’s arrest “the missing puzzle piece” in a broader investigation into anomalies in the country’s infrastructure projects.“The pieces of the puzzle are slowly being put together,” he told reporters. “Expect next week that more information will come out. We will piece together the mystery of this flood control [scandal].”