The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the petitions filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with the graft and plunder cases stemming from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or so-called pork barrel scam.
In a ruling dated October 28, the SC En Banc denied Estrada’s petitions for certiorari related to his plunder case, declaring them “moot and academic.”
According to the Court, “The Court took judicial notice of the Sandiganbayan Decision, dated January 19, 2024, acquitting Senator Estrada of the plunder charges, which rendered the said Petitions moot and academic.”
The high tribunal likewise dismissed Estrada’s petition concerning his graft cases, rejecting his claim that these should be “deemed absorbed” by his previously resolved plunder charges.
Estrada was earlier acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in January 2024 after nearly a decade of legal proceedings involving alleged misuse of his PDAF funds.