Senator Jinggoy Estrada to exhaust all legal remedies as he faces looming arrest.
According to Senator Jinggoy Estrada, he will exhaust all legal remedies against the plunder charges against him.
The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday afternoon filed plunder and graft charges against Jinggoy Estrada before the Sandiganbayan. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano formally filed the cases against Estrada.
The other respondents of the cases were former Department of Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan and ex-DPWH engineering officials from the National Capital Region, namely, assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna, and district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales, Jr.
Clavano cited that the antigraft body found probable cause to indict the respondents for plunder (Republic Act No. 7080) and violations of 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019).
This is his 3rd plunder case in 25 years, and the recent one is due to his alleged involvement in the flood control corruption scandal.
Reacting to plunder raps against him, Estrada expressed on Thursday that he will exhaust all available legal remedies in the cases filed against him in the Sandiganbayan, citing there had been “irregularities” in the investigation and possible violations of his right to due process.
“We will exhaust all legal remedies,” Sen. Estrada said, adding that a letter from the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) showed “no record” of him introducing any insertion in the 2025 national budget.
“Ang ganitong labis at hindi makatuwirang proseso ay may seryosong implikasyon sa aking right to due process,” Estrada added. According to him, he did not receive enough time to review and examine the resolutions issued by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman before the cases were filed.
He stressed that this has deprived him of the chance to submit his explanation or file a motion for reconsideration.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!