The Philippines will look for all possible means, apart from pushing for an extradition treaty with Portugal, to bring back fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co.
“Extradition is almost impossible because we do not have a treaty. We will look for all possible means to repatriate Zaldy Co to the Philippines,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said yesterday.
In a press briefing, the DILG confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed government agencies to begin exploring available mechanisms to repatriate Co.
“We suspect that Co is in Portugal. Our information is that he has a Portuguese passport under an immigration clause,”Remulla said.
“Through Interpol, we will request the repatriation of Zaldy Co if he is indeed in Portugal,”he added.
Remulla later pointed out that there are other avenues the President wants studied, including the Interpol and the United Nations.
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima backed government efforts to track down former congressman Zaldy Co, including the filing of an extradition case against him.
“By all legal means, the government must act urgently and proactively on the matter of effecting the arrest of former Rep. Zaldy Co,”said De Lima, a former justice secretary.
However, she said negotiating an extradition treaty with Portugal solely to arrest Co would require too much effort and time and does not convey a sense of urgency.
De Lima said the Philippine government should instead pursue Co’s deportation.
“What is more reasonable at this point is to negotiate with Portugal for Zaldy Co’s deportation to the Philippines,”she said. “An extradition treaty is not indispensable for the return of a fugitive to his country. An extradition treaty merely compels the requested country to comply with its treaty obligation to surrender a fugitive found in its territory,”she added.
De Lima explained that deportation at the instance of Portugal is another option, noting that Co’s deportation to the Philippines can be immediately negotiated diplomatically even without the formality of entering into an extradition treaty.
