Detained government contractor Curlee Discaya temporarily left his detention cell in the Senate due to frozen shoulder, but was immediately brought back after an MRI scan, Senate President Tito Sotto confirmed Thursday.

“I was told he underwent an MRI for frozen shoulder because it was painful. He was only in and out of the hospital,” Sotto told reporters.

Discaya earlier sought Sotto’s approval to leave the Senate for a medical checkup, citing his alleged deteriorating health.

In a 28 February letter obtained by DAILY TRIBUNE, Discaya also allegedly suffers from difficulty in breathing, especially at night, causing him pain and anxiety that has led to sleepless nights.

Discaya has been detained at the Senate since September after being cited in contempt. Senators accused him of lying after giving inconsistent statements regarding his wife, Sarah Discaya, who is also a government contractor.

Sarah skipped the said Senate hearing into the corruption scheme in the flood control projects, citing health issues, but is now detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail in Cebu on separate charges of graft and malversation of public funds.

The couple is under investigation as two of the top contractors allegedly involved in a series of controversial flood control projects, some found to be either substandard or “ghost.”

Curlee previously contested his continued detention in the Senate in a Pasay Court, accusing the chamber of grave abuse of discretion, and that his indefinite detention was unlawful.

However, last month, the court upheld the authority of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to detain resource persons who testify falsely or evasively during legislative inquiries. The court ruled that Discaya’s conduct “falls squarely” within the grounds that justify the Senate’s exercise of its contempt power.