THE Sandiganbayan Fifth Division will issue its decision on the P183 million plunder charge against Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and his co-accused this morning, nine years and seven months after the case was filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Named co-defendants are Estrada’s former aide Pauline Labayen, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, and Napoles’ employee John Raymond de Asis.
While the promulgation is expected to draw full media coverage, the anti-graft court is not imposing tighter security arrangements once the court goes in session at 8:30 a.m.
Sandiganbayan Chief Judicial Staff Officer Albert dela Cruz, head of the Security and Sheriff Services Division, said seating for 60 persons will be provided in the Fifth Division courtroom.
A third of the seats, or 20, will be reserved for journalists who will cover the proceedings, while the remaining 40 will be allocated to the family and friends of the defendants who are expected to attend the conclusion of the case.
“We are assigning two rows of seats behind the prosecutors for accredited members of the media. We expect the proceedings to be peaceful and orderly,” Dela Cruz said.
Lawyer Ma. Teresa Pabulayan, Executive Clerk of Court, said television cameras inside the courtroom, live streaming of proceedings, and audio recording of the event are strictly prohibited.
“It will be strictly paper and pen only although reporters would be allowed to interview parties and their lawyers in the hallways near the staircase, but not directly outside the courtroom,” Pabulayan said.
The court officials said they expect that other political figures may also show up, including Estrada’s father, former President Joseph Estrada, the lawmaker’s colleagues in the Senate, and even some movie personalities.
Among all the defendants, only Napoles is behind bars as she was earlier convicted of plunder and graft charges.
The case involves allegations that Estrada was paid commission and kickbacks in the sum of P183 million for funneling his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or “pork barrel” allocations to private foundations created by Napoles.
While plunder is a capital offense and supposed to be non-bailable, Estrada was granted bail by the Sandiganbayan on September 15, 2017 on a finding that the government’s evidence fell short of showing that he is the “main plunderer.”
Estrada was one of three senators charged with plunder in court in relation to the multi-billion PDAF scam.
Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan First Division on December 7, 2018 by a slim 3-2 vote.
On the other hand, the plunder case against former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile remains pending before the Third Division.
