Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Thursday slammed what he described as “procedural irregularities” in the filing of plunder and graft charges against him by the Office of the Ombudsman, suggesting the case was politically motivated and hastily prepared without proper fact-finding.
The corruption complaints filed before the Sandiganbayan stem from Estrada’s alleged involvement in a kickback scheme tied to flood control projects in Bulacan.
Estrada questioned the timing of the filing, which came shortly after the recent leadership change in the Senate. He also criticized the Ombudsman for allegedly relying solely on a resolution issued earlier by the Department of Justice without conducting an independent fact-finding investigation.
The DOJ earlier recommended the filing of plunder, graft, and bribery charges against Estrada and several others.
“Under the existing process, a fact-finding investigation is essential before filing a case with the Sandiganbayan,” Estrada argued.
The San Juan lawmaker also accused both the DOJ and the Ombudsman of violating his right to due process, saying he was not given sufficient opportunity to review the resolutions or file a motion for reconsideration before the case was elevated to court.
Because of this, Estrada claimed the swift filing suggested a politically charged effort to indict him.
The recent Senate reorganization saw Alan Peter Cayetano assume the Senate presidency, replacing Tito Sotto by a narrow margin.
Before the leadership shakeup, the draft report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on alleged flood control anomalies had already begun gaining traction.
The report recommended further investigation into Estrada and fellow senators Chiz Escudero and Joel Villanueva over allegations that they received millions in kickbacks from flood control projects.
Estrada and his allies, however, criticized the report as biased, arguing that some members of the House of Representatives allegedly linked to the scheme were not included.
Estrada also insisted there was nothing in legislative records supporting allegations made by former DPWH-Bulacan engineer Brice Hernandez that he pocketed commissions from flood control projects through budget insertions.
“This is important evidence that blatantly refutes all the allegations against me, but it was deliberately set aside,” Estrada said.
During a House inquiry in September last year, Hernandez accused Estrada of receiving at least P350 million in alleged “SOP” or commissions from flood control projects in Bulacan supposedly inserted into the 2025 budget.
Hernandez also linked Villanueva to the alleged scheme, claiming the senator received P600 million in kickbacks.
Despite the accusations, Estrada vowed to “exhaust all legal remedies,” saying his lawyers are preparing legal action to expose supposed irregularities in the process and evidence that was allegedly disregarded.
Estrada was elected earlier this week as one of the vice chairpersons of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, a move that drew criticism given the panel’s ongoing probe into the flood control controversy.
The senator was previously embroiled in separate plunder cases involving jueteng and the pork barrel scam in 2001 and 2014, respectively, but was eventually acquitted by the Sandiganbayan.
