Sandiganbayan clears Jinggoy Estrada of bribery charges

THE Sandiganbayan Special Fifth Division cleared Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery due to "insufficient evidence."

In a resolution dated August 22, the Sandiganbayan said that the only evidence of money sent to Estrada was the P1 million deposited into his Bank of Commerce account on September 18, 2008, as shown in Benhur Luy's summary and that no other evidence was provided.

The summary of rebates showed Luy sending P5 million to the accused and then-Estrada aide Pauline Labayen.

"Since the deposit to Estrada was not proven beyond reasonable doubt, the whole amount of P5 million shall now be attributed to the single instance of direct bribery related to Labayen, without the total amount of bribe money established by prosecution evidence," the resolution reads.

"The Court resolves to GRANT the Motion for Reconsideration filed by accused Jose "Jinggoy" P. Ejercito Estrada. His conviction for one count of Direct Bribery under Art. 210 of the Revised Penal Code and two counts of Indirect Bribery under Art. 211 of the same Code are hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE," the resolution furthered.

In a statement on Thursday night, Estrada said he felt "deeply relieved" by the decision.

"I am deeply relieved of the Sandiganbayan Special Fifth Division’s decision finding merit in my motion for reconsideration and acquitting me of the direct and indirect bribery charges. This ruling reaffirms the innocence I have consistently maintained throughout the ordeal, which spanned a decade, as I sought to prove the baselessness of the accusations against me," Estrada said.

"Pinatotohanan ng korte ang naunang pahayag na wala akong tinanggap na suhol, direkta man o hindi. Hindi ako kailanman gumamit ng pondo ng bayan para sa pansariling interes o para pagtakpan ang anumang gawain na taliwas sa mga umiiral na batas. At higit sa lahat, pinatotohanan ng desisyong ito na hindi ko sinira ang tiwala na ibinigay sa akin ng mga mamamayan," he added.

(The court has affirmed the previous statement that I did not accept any bribes, directly or indirectly. I have never used public funds for personal interests or to cover up any activities contrary to existing laws. And most importantly, this decision proves that I did not betray the trust given to me by the people.)

Estrada said that he will do whatever it takes to clear his name, no matter how long the process takes.

"Hindi madali ang kabanatang pinagdaanan ko ngunit nanatili ang aking tiwala sa ating justice system at kumpiyansa na mapatunayan ang aking integridad bilang halal ng bayan," Estrada said.

(The chapter I went through was not easy, but I maintained my trust in our justice system and confidence that my integrity as an elected official would be proven.)

In January 2024, Estrada and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles were acquitted of plunder charges by the Sandiganbayan in relation to the pork barrel scam due to reasonable doubt.

Estrada, however, was convicted of bribery charges for transferring his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fake non-government organizations owned by Napoles, receiving a sentence of eight to nine years for one count of direct bribery and two to three years for each of the two counts of indirect bribery.

The senator also faced suspension from holding public office, temporary disqualification from voting, and a P3 million fine. (JGS/SunStar Philippines)