MANILA: Sen Jose 'Jinggoy' Estrada on Thursday (Sept 3) declined to enter a plea to the graft and plunder charges against him before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.
This prompted Sandiganbayan Fifth Division Chairperson Associate Justice Zaldy Trespesses to enter a not guilty plea for the senator, who entered the courtroom walking with crutches following his left knee snapping last week.
Estrada is accused of receiving a total of P573.75 million in kickbacks for infrastructure and flood control projects in the National Capital Region, Bulacan and Occidental Mindoro that were included in the 2025 national budget.
Before being arraigned, Estrada’s legal counsel, Laurence Arroyo, said his client waived the reading of the information against him.
Upon questioning by Trespesses, Estrada confirmed that he understood the implications of him waiving the reading of the information.
Arroyo also confirmed that their camp maintained their petition filed last July 29 to allow Estrada to post bail for the plunder charge.
Plunder is a non-bailable case, but bail may be granted if the court finds that the evidence of guilt is not strong.
The preliminary conference for the case was set for Monday afternoon, Sept 11.
The senator is charged alongside then-South Manila District Engineering Office (DEO) chief Manny Bulusan, then-Quezon City 1st DEO chief Arturo Gonzales Jr. and then-North Manila DEO assistant chief Denryl Caesar Cortuna.
All accused were taken into government custody and committed to the New Quezon City Jail in Barangay Payatas last June 1.
Bulusan, Gonzales and Cortuna pleaded not guilty to the charges against them last June 4, but Estrada’s arraignment had been delayed due to several pending motions.
An arraignment, in which the accused is required to enter a guilty or not guilty plea, formally begins the criminal proceedings.
After his arraignment, asked about his physical well-being, Estrada briefly told reporters, “I’m okay. According to my doctor, it’s up to me if I want the surgery on my left knee.”
Estrada’s left knee snapped while he was preparing for a check-up at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City last week.
His orthopaedic doctor told reporters that he had recommended Estrada to undergo a surgery to treat the meniscus tear on his left case.
Estrada was previously charged alongside former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
However, on Tuesday, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division granted a motion by state prosecutors to exclude Bonoan from the graft and plunder charges against him, Estrada, Bulusan, Gonzales and Cortuna.
The move to exclude Bonoan came amid a bid by the Office of the Ombudsman to use him as a state witness in other cases related to the flood control corruption scandal.
“We will exhaust all legal remedies available to us as advised by my lawyers,” Estrada said as he exited the courtroom, reiterating his earlier statement on Bonoan’s exclusion.
Bonoan had been under hospital arrest since last June at the Philippine National Police General Hospital in Camp Crame due to several illnesses. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
