Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied Sen. Jinggoy Estrada&#x27;s bid to fix bail for his plunder charge over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.The anti-graft court, chaired by Associate Justice Gener Gito, said it cannot immediately set the amount of bail without determining if the prosecution&#x27;s evidence against the senator is strong. &quot;The court reiterates that it is premature at this point to fix the bail for the temporary liberty of accused Estrada,&quot; read the resolution promulgated on July 24. Under the Rules of Court, bail is not a matter of right for an accused charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by reclusion perpetua, including plunder. The court said it may be granted after bail hearings establish that the evidence of guilt is not strong.In his motion filed on June 29, Estrada argued that he is not a flight risk, citing his position as an incumbent senator whose term ends in 2028, his long public service, and his previous compliance with court-authorized foreign travel. However, court said Estrada was attempting to bypass mandatory legal procedures.&quot;Accused Estrada attempts to bypass this indispensable constitutional requirement by asking the court to immediately fix the amount of bail without undergoing the mandated summary bail hearing. Hence, he cannot use the outcome of his previous case to justify a procedural shortcut in the present motion,&quot; the court said. &quot;Estrada&#x27;s instant motion effectively asks the court to fix the amount of bail without first resolving the antecedent question of whether bail may be granted at al… This the court cannot do. The fixing of bail necessarily presupposes a prior determination that the accused is entitled to be admitted thereto,” it added.The court also said Estrada has not yet filed a petition for bail that would trigger bail hearings.&quot;Since no hearing has been conducted, no evidence has been presented by the prosecution, and therefore, no factual basis exists upon which the court may evaluate the strength of the evidence against accused Estrada,&quot; the resolution read.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's bid to fix bail for his plunder charge over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's bid to fix bail for his plunder charge over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.

Sandiganbayan denies Jinggoy Estrada’s bid to fix bail for plunder

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Sandiganbayan denies Jinggoy Estrada’s bid to fix bail for plunder

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 28, 2026 06:47 PM PHT

Read More:

Jinggoy Estrada

flood control scandal

Sandiganbayan

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