Estrada files new bail petition before Sandiganbayan

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has filed a petition for bail in his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, days after it denied his motion to fix bail. In a seven-page petition received by the Fifth Division on Wednesday but was only furnished to the media on Thursday, Estrada said he is entitled to bail. Estrada filed the petition days after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied his motion to fix bail. In his petition, Estrada asserted his right to be entitled to bail. “The accused is entitled to the constitutional right to bail when the evidence of guilt is not strong,” the petition read. Estrada is facing plunder and multiple counts of graft charges for allegedly receiving P183 million in kickbacks from his pork barrel. He is out on bail for the graft cases. He was arrested in October 2013 for plunder and graft charges and had been detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City, until he posted bail for the graft cases in 2014. In 2017, the Supreme Court affirmed the Ombudsman’s finding of probable cause to indict Estrada for plunder. In 2018, Estrada was allowed to post bail for the plunder case after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division ruled that the evidence of guilt against him was not strong. But in 2021, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied Estrada’s motion to fix bail. The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division is expected to rule on the senator’s latest plea soon.