Sandiganbayan Orders 90-Day Preventive Suspension of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada amid the Graft, Plunder Charges
JINGGOY ESTRADA – The Sandiganbayan ordered the preventive suspension of the detained Senator for 90 days.
Sen. Estrada is one of the senators who are faced with graft and plunder charges due to alleged flood control corruption. After the Sandiganbayan has issued an arrest warrant against him, the Senator turned himself to the authorities last June 1.
Several senators from the then-majority bloc including then-Senate Pres. Alan Peter Cayetano showed their support for Estrada as they accompanied him as he surrendered to the authorities. Cayetano even did not allow Estrada to be arrested inside the Senate.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada claimed that he has ordered for the holding off of his salary as he clears his name and he also would not seek Senate’s protective custody. He called the allegations against him as alleged persecution.
Estrada is faced with graft and plunder charges over supposed flood control corruption amounting to not less than P573 million. According to the Office of the Ombudsman, there was allegedly a systematic delivery of the flood control kickback to the Senator.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is currently detained in the Quezon City Jail. Amid his detention, he maintained that he is still a senator judge in the possible impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Recently, amid his detention, the Sandiganbayan has ordered the 90-day preventive suspension of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Based on a post of ABS-CBN News, the order of the Sandiganbayan Second Division is in line with the flood control charges against the Senator.
The supporters of Estrada question the move of the Court while there are also Filipinos who believe that those who are faced with flood control accusations should be under preventive suspension.
The Senate leadership issue has divided the senators. As for Estrada, he recognizes Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as the Senate chief, still. Currently, there are rumors that two (2) senators may be joining the majority bloc.
The speculations that Sen. Joel Villanueva might be joining the majority bloc soon was even more triggered by the absence of his name in the petition filed by the Cayetano bloc before the Supreme Court. Sen. Mark Villar’s name was also not in it.