The Sandiganbayan’s Second Division has ordered a 90-day preventive suspension for Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with an ongoing graft case involving alleged kickbacks from flood control projects. The suspension order officially commenced on June 16.
The anti-graft court issued the resolution to temporarily remove the lawmaker from his official duties while the case is being heard.
“This Court hereby orders the suspension pendente lite of accused Senator Jose ‘Jinggoy’ P. Ejercito Estrada from his present position as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, and from any other public office which he may now or hereafter be holding for a period of ninety (90) days from receipt of this Resolution, which shall take effect upon the finality of this Resolution,” the document stated.
Before finalizing the order, the court’s Second and Fifth Divisions directed both the prosecution and the defense to submit their formal arguments regarding whether a preventive suspension was necessary during the trial.
The legal proceedings have moved forward with the Second Division entering a “not guilty” plea on Estrada’s behalf after the senator declined to enter a plea himself.
Estrada, alongside several former officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), is scheduled for arraignment on June 30.
That upcoming hearing will be handled by the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division to address separate charges of plunder and graft.