Jinggoy Arrested: Senator Faces Plunder Rap Over Flood Control Mess
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was placed in police custody after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest over plunder and graft cases tied to flood control corruption.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada is now in police custody after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest over plunder and graft cases tied to the flood control corruption scandal.
According to Rappler, Estrada said he was voluntarily surrendering at the Senate on Monday afternoon, June 1, but Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla later said authorities had already arrested him before the press conference. Remulla said Estrada was read his rights at the Senate, which technically constituted an arrest.
Estrada told reporters, “I will defend myself till the end,” and said he would not seek protective custody from the Senate. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano accompanied him to Camp Crame, where Estrada went through booking procedures including a mugshot and fingerprints.
The cases stem from the Ombudsman’s allegations of a scheme involving flood control-related budget insertions in exchange for commissions or kickbacks. The Ombudsman alleged that more than ₱573 million in illicit payouts were systematically delivered to Estrada, who is the highest sitting official so far to be arrested in the flood control scam.
Rappler reported that this is Estrada’s third plunder case in 25 years; he was previously acquitted in two plunder cases connected to the 2001 jueteng scandal and the 2014 pork barrel scam, while separate graft cases from the pork barrel issue remain pending. Source: Rappler
