The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed plunder and graft charges against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada before the Sandiganbayan in connection with controversial flood control projects.
The case stemmed from allegations that Estrada allegedly received kickbacks from the projects based on the testimony of former Department of Public Works and Highways-Bulacan District Engineer Brice Hernandez.
Estrada strongly denied the accusations and insisted that he had no involvement in any alleged “insertions” or funding allocations connected to the projects.
Despite the allegations, the senator said he is prepared to face the charges even if doing so comes at the cost of standing by his beliefs and principles.
The filing marked another high-profile corruption case involving Estrada, who was previously linked to the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or PDAF, scam.
Estrada was acquitted in the plunder case related to the PDAF controversy. He was also initially convicted in a bribery case tied to the same issue but was later cleared after the court ruled that evidence presented was insufficient.
Apart from the newly filed plunder and graft charges, Estrada is also facing other graft cases related to the same controversy.
The Ombudsman has yet to release additional details regarding the formal complaints filed before the anti-graft court.
No timetable was immediately announced regarding the arraignment or other proceedings connected to the case.
The controversy surrounding the flood control projects has drawn public attention amid allegations of corruption involving government infrastructure funds and public works allocations.
The Sandiganbayan is expected to handle proceedings related to the newly filed charges in the coming months.
