Senator Jinggoy Estrada appeals Sandiganbayan denial of bail in P573-million plunder case

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan to reconsider its denial of his motion to post bail in the P573-million plunder case filed against him in connection with the alleged flood control project anomalies.

In his appeal, Estrada argued that he poses no flight risk and urged the anti-graft court to apply the exception recognized by the Supreme Court in granting bail to former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile despite the non-bailable nature of plunder.

The senator cited the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling, which was affirmed in 2016, allowing Enrile to post bail on humanitarian grounds after finding that he was not a flight risk while facing a P172-million plunder case involving the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Enrile was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in October 2025.

“In Enrile, Senator Enrile was granted bail because he was not a flight risk irrespective of the strength of the evidence against him. It is this exception to the general rule that accused Estrada invokes in asking the Honorable Court to fix the amount of bail and order his release sans a summary hearing where the prosecution presents evidence of the guilt of the accused,” Estrada’s motion read.

“Accused Estrada submits that he is similarly situated as Senator Enrile. They are both not flight risks,” it added.

Estrada's legal team argued that his circumstances are comparable to Enrile's, noting that he remains an incumbent senator whose term runs until June 2028 and that he has served in public office for nearly four decades.

His camp also pointed out that the Sandiganbayan had repeatedly granted his requests to travel abroad despite the 11 graft cases pending before other divisions of the anti-graft court in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, arguing that this demonstrates the court's previous recognition that he is unlikely to flee. -Paraluman News

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