The Sandiganbayan has approved former senator Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada’s eight-day trip to Singapore where he will accompany his mother, former senator Loi Ejercito, who is scheduled to undergo a medical checkup in that country.
Estrada and his mother flew to Singapore on Monday, Oct. 1.
He is allowed by the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division to travel until Oct. 8 as is required to report to the court five days of his return.
He said his mother will spend most of her time at the Singapore Brain-Spine Nerves Center at Mount Elizabeth Hospital to meet a neurosurgeon named Dr. Pillay.
The elder Ejercito has been diagnosed with severe compression deformity of the lumbar spine with vertebral body collapse.
The Ombudsman has opposed the motion to travel of Estrada, claiming that he is a flight risk and that the Singapore travel is not an excuse for him to leave the country.
But the court said it cannot deprive of Estrada’s right to travel abroad since his previous trips abroad were also allowed.
“For the reason stated therein and considering that the right to travel is a constitutional right which cannot be impaired except in cases provided for by law and that accused-movant Estrada has been previously granted travel abroad, the instant motion is granted,” the Sandiganbayan said.
The anti-graft court also said the P2.6-million travel bond Estrada posted when he traveled last year will guarantee his return to the country.
Aside from plunder, Estrada also faces 11 counts of graft for allegedly pocketing some P183 million in kickbacks from his pork barrel allocations, which were coursed through bogus non-government organizations established by alleged pork barrel scam architect Janet Lim-Napoles.
The court allowed Estrada to post bail worth P1.3 million in September 2017 and so he is currently enjoying his provisional liberty.