The Czech Republic’s willingness to engage in dialogue over the custody of former Ako-Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co is a “very telling” development, even in the absence of a formal extradition treaty between the two countries, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In an ambush interview on Thursday, DOJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez emphasized that Prague’s openness signals a shared commitment to international cooperation.

“For one thing, the fact that the Czech Republic is open to dialogue — that, I think, is very telling,” Martinez said. 

“In the community of nations, there is a principle of international comity. There is mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, and despite that, countries can work together toward a common goal,” he added. 

The Philippines is seeking Co’s return to face pending charges before the Sandiganbayan.

Martinez noted that while no extradition treaty exists between Manila and Prague, the Philippine government has handled similar situations in the past through diplomatic engagement.

“We’ve seen this in prior cases involving Filipinos abroad, like Mary Jane Veloso and Arnie Teves… These individuals were under the jurisdiction of the countries where they were found, and the same principle applies here,” he said. 

He stressed that any arrangement would require strict adherence to Czech domestic laws and judicial processes.

“We will have to respect the internal laws of the Czech Republic and explore the legal avenues they may suggest,” Martinez said. 

“This is about two nations working together to resolve how we can bring Zaldy Co back to the Philippines to face his charges,” he went. 

The DOJ official acknowledged that many aspects of the process remain uncertain, citing differences in legal systems and data privacy regulations that could affect how evidence is gathered and shared.

“A lot of things are uncertain right now with respect to how things will be done on the ground. As I said earlier, they have different judicial processes, different data privacy laws… so if taking photos will be in violation of their data privacy laws, then obviously that's not something we can do. Right? But it's also looking into that first. We’ll see what we can do,” he pointed out. 

Still, Martinez underscored that ongoing coordination between Philippine and Czech authorities indicates there is a credible basis for pursuing Co’s return.

“The fact that the Philippine government is actively coordinating with the Czech Republic goes to show that, of course, this is not baseless,” he said. 

“There's a reason for us invoking or at least exploring legal avenues to be able to seek his return to the Philippines,” he added. 

Preparations for the Philippine delegation’s trip include compiling official documents to establish the pending case against Co before the Sandiganbayan.

The DOJ, he said, will present proof of the charges filed against Co, along with the necessary documentation. 

“So first of all, we have to show proof that he does have a pending case here before the Sandiganbayan. Pending charges against him. So those all probably... not just working out, but actual documents will be brought, 'di ba? Besides that, preparations are just basically coordinating, obviously,” he said.