NBI raids Zaldy Co's condo units in BGC

Brandishing a court order, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents yesterday swooped down on two condominium units owned by fugitive lawmaker Elizaldy Co in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig to search for and copy documents related to alleged bid rigging in flood control projects.

- By MARK ERNEST VILLEZA

Also yesterday, one of the public works officials linked to corruption in a flood control project in Oriental Mindoro pleaded not guilty to graft charges.

Agents from the NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division turned up at Co’s two units in an unnamed condominium carrying an inspection order issued by the Makati Regional Trial Court. The two units have a combined floor area of 600 square meters.

Only lawyers of Co, who were not named, faced the NBI agents.

Unlike in a search warrant where materials or evidence are retrieved, relevant documents or possible evidence are only copied - usually through scanning — in an inspection order, to prevent them from getting moved or destroyed.

An inspection order is effective for 14 days.

The NBI said the operation, which began at 8 a.m., was aimed at locating and copying records that could shed light on supposed budget insertions as well as on favored contractors in the multibillion-peso flood control projects.

Personnel from the Philippine Competition Commission assisted the NBI agents in identifying documents that may indicate collusion, advance payments or prearranged bids. The PCC personnel have been tasked to ensure that only documents related to the investigation would be touched.

According to the NBI, the inspection was prompted mainly by the testimony of whistleblowers Orly Guteza and former public works engineer Henry Alcantara, who claimed that bags containing millions in kickbacks were delivered to the same address ostensibly for Co.

Co, who served as chairman of the House appropriations committee, has denied any wrongdoing.

He would later flee the country and release videos apparently from abroad accusing President Marcos of benefiting from the anomaly, from which the former lawmaker claimed had earned him nothing.

'Good suggestion'