WHAT WENT BEFORE: Flood control plunder case is Jinggoy Estrada's third in 25 years

The plunder and two counts of graft that the Ombudsman filed against Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada before the Sandiganbayan on Thursday over P573 million in alleged kickbacks from flood control projects marked the third time that he was charged with plunder in the past 25 years.

Back in 2001, Estrada faced a plunder case for the first time alongside his father, former President Joseph Estrada.

This was over allegations of receiving P545 million protection money from jueteng operators; diverting the P130 million tobacco excise tax share of Ilocos Sur; receiving P189.7 million kickback from Belle Corp. for the GSIS and SSS purchase of P1.8 billion worth of shares of stocks; and maintaining the P3.23 billion “Jose Velarde” account with the Equitable-PCI Bank branch in Binondo, Manila.

The younger Estrada was acquitted in this plunder charge before the Sandiganbayan due to the prosecution’s failure to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

It was only his father who was convicted in the said plunder case. The former President was pardoned.

In 2014, Estrada was again indicted for plunder, 11 counts of graft, and direct and indirect bribery before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged misuse of P183 million of his discretionary Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

In January 2024, he was acquitted of the plunder charge involving his PDAF.

In clearing Estrada of plunder, the Sandiganbayan said Estrada was not aware of the scheme concocted by businesswoman Janet Napoles and that she had been making a business out of PDAF.

Estrada was convicted over one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery in the PDAF cases also in January 2024, but these convictions were eventually reversed in August 2024 due to lack of evidence.

In overturning the bribery convictions, the anti-graft court noted that aside from the P1 million deposited to Estrada’s Bank of Commerce’s account on September 18, 2008 and reflected in prosecution witness Benhur Luy’s “9/18/2008” Summary of Rebates, the prosecution did not present other evidence which proved that money was sent to Estrada.

The Sandiganbayan, however, has yet to rule on the 11 counts of graft charges against Estrada.

These multiple graft charges are pending before the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division. — JMA, GMA News