The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with a ₱573-million plunder case initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman, dismissing a final attempt by the lawmaker to block the warrant.
Issued on Monday by the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division, the arrest order also names several other individuals, including former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, District Engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzalez Jr., and Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Plunder carries a penalty of life imprisonment and is a non-bailable offense under Philippine law.
The court has instructed Estrada and the other co-accused to surrender to the authorities for standard booking procedures regarding the charges, which stem from alleged anomalies in various flood control projects.
This latest arrest order follows just three days after the Sandiganbayan’s Second Division issued a separate warrant for graft charges against the senator.
For those specific graft charges, he promptly posted a ₱90,000 bond to secure his temporary liberty.
Prior to the issuance, Estrada’s legal team had submitted an urgent motion requesting the anti-graft court to recall any impending arrest warrants and throw out the criminal information filed against him.