Jinggoy Posts Bail: Flood-Control Graft Case Takes Bigger Turn
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada posted ₱90,000 bail in a flood-control graft case, but a separate non-bailable plunder case still looms.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada posted ₱90,000 bail at the Sandiganbayan on Friday, May 29, after the anti-graft court ordered his arrest in a graft case tied to the multibillion-peso flood-control scandal.
The bail gives Estrada temporary liberty only for the graft charges before the court’s Second Division. According to Philstar.com, a separate plunder case remains pending before the Fifth Division, where a non-bailable warrant could still be issued as early as Monday.
Estrada surrendered to the anti-graft court after the arrest order and a travel ban were issued. He said in a statement that posting bail was a legal remedy available to him and that he intends to use lawful means to defend himself and clear his name.
The Ombudsman charged Estrada with plunder and two counts of graft over allegations that he received ₱573 million in kickbacks in exchange for steering flood-control contracts through budget insertions and rigged project allocations at the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The case is drawing national attention because Estrada is the highest-ranking official so far ordered arrested in the flood-control controversy. Source: Philstar.com
