The Office of the Ombudsman has officially indicted Senator Jinggoy Estrada before the Sandiganbayan on plunder and multiple criminal charges in connection with a multi-million peso flood control project anomaly.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano confirmed the filing on Thursday, marking the formal escalation of the high-profile corruption case to the anti-graft court.
Named as co-accused in the Sandiganbayan charge sheet are former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the late Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, and several other private and public respondents. The accused face a string of offenses, including plunder, direct bribery, and multiple counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The legal action comes just two days after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla announced that his office had wrapped up its review of the case files endorsed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Estrada, who has previously faced legal battles over the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam, is now under fire for allegedly pocketing kickbacks from local flood control projects funded through national infrastructure allocations.
According to Remulla, the anti-graft body’s sweeping crackdown on infrastructure corruption is far from over, as active investigations continue into nine or ten other senators linked to suspicious flood control fund disbursements.
The Ombudsman further disclosed that a separate plunder complaint is slated for filing within the next two weeks against Senator Joel Villanueva regarding a different infrastructure-related case.
Both Estrada and Villanueva have firmly maintained their innocence, repeatedly denying any irregularities in the allocation and utilization of their respective project funds.