So, who’s spreading fake news now?

Former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co was not arrested in the Czech Republic, the Department of Justice (DoJ) admitted Thursday.

The clarification came seven days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself said in a social media post on 16 April that Co had been “arrested” in Prague.

Malacañang earlier branded as “fake news” statements made by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque saying there was no record of any Filipino, much less Co, having been arrested in the Czech capital.

In an interview, DoJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez stressed the need to distinguish between legal jurisdictions, noting that Co was not under arrest under Czech law.

“We have to be careful with the nomenclature — he was not arrested. When Zaldy Co was found in the Czech Republic, their government notified the Philippines,” he said.

He said the Czech authorities had yet to disclose which specific agency or individuals were handling Co’s custody.

Martinez said coordination was ongoing with Czech authorities, although the exact agencies involved have not been formally identified. He emphasized that Philippine authorities cannot impose their legal processes on a sovereign state.

No timeline

“Let’s do away with the word ‘arrest’ because arrest assumes it is being done by the country with jurisdiction over him. The Czech Republic cannot lawfully arrest Zaldy Co because he has no outstanding warrant there. The case is pending in the Philippines, so these are two different jurisdictions,” Martinez explained.

“It wouldn’t be prudent for the Philippines to impose its laws on another sovereign nation. That’s why we are coordinating properly and exploring avenues under international comity,” he added.

Martinez said there was no definite timeline yet for Co’s possible return to the Philippines.

“We cannot provide a timeline. It will depend entirely on how the Czech Republic is willing to accommodate us, with all due respect to their laws,” he said.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, accompanied by Chief State Counsel Dennis Chan, has left for the Czech Republic to initiate formal discussions with Czech authorities. They were accompanied by Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Center for Transnational Crime officials.