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MANILA, Philippines — The legal counsel of former Rep. Elizaldy Co said they intend to file a complaint against government authorities over the seizure of car keys to 34 vehicles linked to the former lawmaker and his firm.
These vehicles are separate from the eight cars that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) took into custody on Thursday night when it enforced a search warrant covering nine of Co’s luxury vehicles allegedly in violation of importation laws and for having unpaid duties and taxes.
Co’s legal counsel, Ruy Rondain, said on Friday, January 9, that authorities who allegedly confiscated the 34 car keys told him the action was based on an "alarm" from the Land Transportation Office, which he said likely referred to a stolen vehicle alert.
He said the move did not make sense, questioning which authority had reported an issue with the 34 vehicles when they are owned by Co, his wife, and his firm.
"Walo lang ata ang nasa listahan, pero kinumpiska na lahat. All 34 [keys]. Eh, pwede ba 'yun? Talagang abuso. Maghintay sila ng asunto. Uulan ng demanda," Rondain told DZBB.
(I think only eight were on the list, but they confiscated everything. All 34 [keys]. Is that even allowed? That’s clearly an abuse. They should expect a case. Lawsuits will come pouring in.)
Co’s legal counsel added that because authorities were unable to remove the vehicles from the garage, they instead confiscated the keys, allegedly without an official warrant. After demanding proof, he said the police told him they were merely following orders.
"Hinihingan ko ng authority, wala daw. Utos lang daw. Pwede ba 'yun? Utos lang, kukumpiskahin mo? Maghintay sila ng demanda, personal na dedemandahin sila," Rondain said.
(I asked for the authority, but they said there was none. They said they were just following orders. Is that even allowed? Just an order, and you can confiscate? They should expect a lawsuit, I’ll personally sue them.)
Rundain also argued that the company's cars should not be seized when it's the company, not his firm, facing charges. However, Customs Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Bendijo explained to DZBB that vehicles can still be seized regardless of whether the registered owner has a legal case or not.
The difference, Bendijo pointed out, is that the BOC recognizes only the nine vehicles they were looking to take custody of, while Rondain alleges that keys to 34 cars were confiscated.
"'Di ko alam 'yung bilang na binabanggit nila. Nag-implement lang ang Bureau of Customs ng search warrant na sumasaklaw doon sa siyam," he said.
(I don’t know the number they’re mentioning. The Bureau of Customs simply implemented a search warrant covering nine vehicles.)
Earlier, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) also suggested that some vehicles not covered by the search warrant but suspected of violations were seized by the Highway Patrol Group. What these violations are, however, remains unclear.
The eight Co-linked luxury cars are currently in the parking lot of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). They were seized in a joint operation at the parking area of the Fort Victoria Condominium in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
According to the ICI, a tip led them to 15 luxury vehicles allegedly tied to Co. The independent body verified the plate numbers, then forwarded the information to the LTO for ownership checks and to the BOC to confirm importation documents and duty payments.
Authorities found the vehicles were registered under entities and individuals connected to the former lawmaker, including Sunwest Inc., which he co-founded.
There is still no word on what authorities will do with the luxury vehicles if they are found to have been illegally imported. The last time the BOC handled a similar case was with the Discayas, whose seized cars were eventually put up for public auction.
Co is a central figure in the investigations into the anomalous flood control project and the national budget corruption scandal. But his whereabouts remain unknown, making him a fugitive with graft charges already filed against him.
