Philippine court orders arrest of ex-president Estrada’s senator son over graft scandal
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Senator Jinggoy Estrada is the highest-ranking public official to be sued for allegedly siphoning off funds intended for flood-control projects.
PHOTO: AFP
MANILA – A Philippine court on May 29 ordered the arrest of Senator Jinggoy Estrada after he was charged for allegedly receiving millions of pesos in an infrastructure corruption scheme.
An arrest warrant has been issued against Estrada for his graft case, according to the Sandiganbayan, a special court for corruption cases. He is expected to post bail.
There was no immediate update on his separate plunder case, for which he cannot post bail if the court orders his arrest.
The Office of the Ombudsman on May 28 filed the charges against Estrada before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly receiving more than 573 million pesos (S$12 million) in “illicit payouts”.
He is the highest-ranking public official to be sued for allegedly siphoning off funds intended for flood infrastructure in the typhoon-prone nation.
The lawmaker, son of former president Joseph Estrada who was jailed for plunder and later on pardoned, said on May 28 he would exhaust all legal remedies.
“As I have said before, if this is the price that I have to pay for standing by my principles and for what I believe in, then so be it,” he said in a statement.
He earlier denied involvement in the scheme, saying the accusations against him were “outright lies”. BLOOMBERG
