THE Philippine Embassy in Paris said it has strong reason to believe that fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co is currently in France and reportedly owns properties within the country, though it clarified that embassy officials have no authority to conduct surveillance or make arrests on foreign soil. Ambassador to France Eduardo de Vega made the statement following the disclosure of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, a highly regarded diplomatic source, confirmed Co’s presence in France, where he is allegedly seeking asylum.
“Although, as the Secretary said, we have strong reason to believe he’s here. Of course, there are ideas as to his property here, but he’s not been sighted there either,” De Vega told the media. He noted, however, that there has been no official confirmation yet that Co has actually been seen in the country. On the matter of his reported asylum bid, the envoy said: “France cannot confirm if there is an asylum request, but we have sources that indicate he has a pending request.”
De Vega emphasized that the arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan against Co has no legal effect outside Philippine territory and that all actions related to the case must be coordinated through French authorities. “We cannot act like we were private investigators here because that would be breaking the rules or, better put, we would be infringing on the sovereignty of France,” he explained, stressing that investigative work remains the exclusive jurisdiction of local law enforcement agencies. He also pointed out that French privacy laws prevent authorities from officially disclosing details regarding individuals within their borders.
Even if Co were spotted by embassy personnel or members of the Filipino community in France, De Vega clarified that they have no power to apprehend him. “Although there is a warrant of arrest, he’s not in the Philippines. He’s in France. So, Philippine laws don’t apply here. So, it has to be done through the host government, maybe through Interpol,” the ambassador said.
He added that the existence of an asylum request further complicates the situation, noting: “Even if he shows up somewhere… we can’t just simply arrest him.” Despite these limitations, De Vega expressed optimism that the Philippines’ good bilateral relations with France will help yield a satisfactory resolution to the issue.
