Sandiganbayan likely to allow bail for Jinggoy —source

The Sandiganbayan will likely allow Senator Jinggoy Estrada to post bail in his plunder case regarding his supposed involvement in the alleged pork barrel scam.

A well-placed source from the Office of the Ombudsman told GMA News' Raffy Tima that a special division has been created to rule on the omnibus motion of Estrada, with three magistrates voting in favor of allowing him to post bail and two opposing.

The Office of the Ombudsman is ready to question the possible ruling before the Supreme Court, the "24 Oras" report added.

The source added that if Estrada's motion is approved, it may also mean freedom for another detained former senator, Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr.  Revilla is also facing plunder and graft charges for allegedly pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks after channeling his pork barrel, or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), allocations to the bogus non-government organizations linked to alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

Both Revilla and Estrada are detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The Court is set to rule on the appeal of Estrada to allow him to post bail, where he cited the prosecution’s supposed failure to present evidence of his guilt and the negative effects of continued detention on his well-being.

The prosecution, however, argued that the motion should be denied since Estrada's earlier bail petition has been ruled with finality, saying plunder is a non-bailable offense and that his omnibus motion is "nothing more than a second motion for reconsideration."

The source said Estrada did not present any new evidence on his omnibus motion, while noting that the magistrates who ruled on his previous bail petition were different from those who will decide on his present motion.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, in a 215-page ruling in January, had already denied the bail petition of Estrada in connection with the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam.

Earlier, Revilla revealed that his former colleague was already packing to leave his detention cell in Camp Crame.

Estrada, in a statement, denied this: "Hindi ako nagliligpit. No movement."

President Rodrigo Duterte had previously slammed and accused the Office of the Ombudsman of having "selective justice," citing the cases of Estrada and Revilla.

Duterte questioned how the Ombudsman is handling the cases of Estrada and Revilla after co-accused Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was allowed to post bail.

"Why can't they just wind up the cases against the senators. This is not a brief... Hindi ko man kapartido 'yang si Estrada pati si... sino 'tong isa? taga-Cavite... Hindi naman... Bat 'yung kaso nila hanggang ngayon," Duterte said. "If you allow a certain person to post bail, there is absolutely no ground, legal or otherwise, na bakit 'yung iba 'di mo rin gawin?" —JST, GMA News