The Sandiganbayan has denied Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s appeal to dismiss his graft case involving the alleged illegal release of ₱183 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to non-government organizations (NGOs) linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
In a 22-page decision, the anti-graft court ruled that there was no sufficient basis to grant Estrada’s plea.
In its resolution signed by Associate Justices Zaldy Trespeses, Maryann Corpus-Manalac, and Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega, the court said it found no reason to “disturb its findings” in its earlier ruling.
The Sandiganbayan stressed that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Estrada, citing his repeated endorsement of Napoles-run NGOs as recipients of his PDAF.
“To the court’s mind, the frequency and recurrence of his above actions, along with the totality of the evidence adduced by the prosecution and extant in the record, undoubtedly establishes a prima facie case to sustain a verdict of guilt against him at this point of the trial,” the court stated.
It further explained: “With the denial of his demurrer to evidence and the instant motion for reconsideration, accused Estrada is now given the chance to rebut the pieces of evidence and the prima facie case built by the prosecution against him.”
The court also clarified that Estrada’s previous acquittal in his plunder case does not automatically lead to the dismissal of his ongoing graft cases.
“Judicial notice of the testimonies and evidence presented in the plunder case has already been made by the court in multiple resolutions, yet the probative weight and materiality of this evidence must still be determined anew in the present graft cases because the same must now be examined through the lens of a determination of the elements of a violation of Section 3(e) of R.A. No. 3019,” the ruling read, referring to the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Meanwhile, Estrada faces renewed controversy after his name was again dragged into allegations of senators receiving kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.