The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Interpol has asked for additional documents before taking further action on the Philippines’ request for a red notice against former lawmaker Zaldy Co, an NBI official said Friday. Interpol’s request for supplemental information was relayed through the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime, and the NBI has until Feb. 11 to submit the materials, according to NBI spokesman Palmer Mallari.
Mallari said the request for more data is part of Interpol’s standard process and does not indicate a decision on whether a red notice will be issued. “This is a normal part of Interpol’s process. They sometimes ask for supplemental information before they decide on a request,” he said. The International Operations Division of the NBI continues to coordinate with foreign counterparts as it monitors Co’s whereabouts, but Mallari declined to discuss specific leads.
A red notice is a formal alert circulated to law enforcement worldwide to help locate and provisionally arrest a person wanted in another country pending extradition or legal proceedings. It does not itself serve as an arrest warrant, but it can prompt authorities to detain a wanted individual based on existing national warrants.
Co has been the subject of legal action in the Philippines related to alleged anomalies in flood control projects, and the Sandiganbayan previously declared him a fugitive from justice after he left the country before charges were filed. Authorities have sought the red notice to strengthen efforts to locate him and bring him home to face trial.
Co has been accused of inserting ₱13.8 billion, including funds for flood control and other infrastructure projects, into the bicameral conference committee version of the 2025 budget. His camp has maintained that charges filed against him were “trumped up.”
The NBI said it will work to meet Interpol’s deadline and hopes to advance the red notice request as part of ongoing efforts to enforce Philippine warrants abroad. The outcome of Interpol’s review will determine whether the notice is issued and how international law enforcement may assist in locating Co.
