Politics · Philippines Bureau
Co's legal team appears at Romualdez plunder pretrial hearing
The legal representatives of former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co made a special appearance at the Sandiganbayan on Friday during pretrial proceedings against ex-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Co is among three co-accused in the plunder case involving alleged kickbacks totaling P7.44 billion.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Attorneys for former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co appeared before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Friday as pretrial proceedings continued against ex-House Speaker Martin Romualdez on plunder charges.
Co is one of three co-accused alongside Romualdez in connection with allegations involving P7.44 billion in kickbacks. The case centers on allegations of systematic corruption during Romualdez's tenure as House Speaker.
The special appearance by Co's legal team marks a significant development in the high-profile case, which has drawn considerable attention given the prominence of the officials involved. The Sandiganbayan's Third Division is overseeing the proceedings as part of its jurisdiction over cases involving public officials accused of graft and corruption.
The pretrial phase allows both the prosecution and defense to present preliminary matters before the case moves toward trial. The court has been scheduling regular hearings to address procedural issues and ensure all parties are prepared for substantive litigation.
No details were immediately disclosed regarding the specific matters raised during Friday's hearing or any updates to the case timeline.