The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) on Wednesday dismissed reports that Senator Jinggoy Estrada slipped and fell in a bathroom at the New Quezon City Jail, calling the claims false.

BJMP spokesperson Jail Supt. Jayrex Bustinera clarified that Estrada experienced sudden knee pain while walking along a corridor in preparation for a court-approved medical appointment.

Bustinera said Estrada heard a snapping sound in his knee around 11:30 a.m. while getting ready for a hospital consultation. A jail physician examined Estrada at the facility and assisted him before he was transported to an outside medical facility for testing.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division granted Estrada permission to undergo a knee X-ray at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan on 26 August after his defense team reported a flare-up of persistent pain in both knees that severely impaired his ability to walk.

His orthopedic specialist, Dr. Jose Fernando Syquia, recommended the imaging procedures to determine if a pre-existing knee condition had worsened. Prosecutors had opposed the transfer, suggesting instead that a portable X-ray unit be brought to the detention facility.

Bustinera cited that Estrada’s medical records prior to his detention already documented pre-existing knee issues.

Official findings will be released once attending physicians complete their evaluation, and the senator will return to the New Quezon City Jail immediately following the procedure.

Estrada is currently on trial before the anti-graft court alongside four co-defendants over corruption and plunder charges related to an alleged kickback scheme involving flood control projects.