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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sandiganbayan affirms denial of Jinggoy Estrada's plea for investigation records on his graft cases

Sandiganbayan affirms denial of Jinggoy Estrada's plea for investigation records on his graft cases

Published Mar 13, 2026 10:34 am
The Sandiganbayan has affirmed its decision that denied the motion of Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada to get copies of the preliminary investigation records on his graft cases and those of former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and the late former senator Juan Ponce Enrile.
In its resolution, the anti-graft court’s fifth division said that Estrada failed to demonstrate compelling reasons to order the production of the requested preliminary investigation records of the Office of the Ombudsman, specify which documents should be transmitted, and explain why such documents are necessary to the presentation of his evidence.
Estrada, in his motion filed on Jan. 7, 2026, sought for the "complete" records and explained that he needed "access to the previous statements by his co-accused and their witnesses, if any, as contained in the records of the preliminary investigation."
His motion was denied by the court on Jan. 27, 2026. He filed a motion for reconsideration on Feb. 16, 2026.
In his motion for reconsideration, Estrada said he has sufficiently stated his purpose for requesting the transmittal of the complete records, which is to cross-examine the witnesses.
However, the court said that Estrada’s motion for reconsideration has no merit.
In its March 12, 2026 resolution, the Sandiganbayan said: “At this point, this court finds that the Motion contains merely a reiteration of arguments already considered and passed upon at length in the assailed Resolution, thereby dispelling the need for a more in-depth discussion of the issue."
The four-page resolution was written by Associate Justice Maryann E. Corpus-Manalc with the concurrence of Fifth Division Chairperson Associate Justice Zaldy V. Trespeses and Associate Justice Gener M. Gito.
Estrada is facing 11 counts of alleged violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for reportedly pocketing P183,793,750 from his priority development assistance fund (PDAF) by endorsing the fake non-government organizations (NGOs) owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles in 2004.
On Jan. 19, 2024, Estrada was acquitted of his plunder case. However, he was found guilty of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery.
Also in 2024, the Sandiganbayan granted Estrada’s motion for reconsideration, reversed its decision, and ordered his acquittal on direct bribery and indirect bribery charges. Only the graft charges remained unresolved.
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