Sen. Jinggoy Estrada trusts his lawyers will build a stronger counterargument that will also absolve him of bribery after securing his “legal victory” for plunder.
Estrada was handed a guilty verdict for three counts of direct and indirect bribery by the Sandiganbayan fifth division last Friday, Jan. 19, in connection with his involvement in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or “pork barrel” scam.
In a radio interview Saturday, Estrada said he was surprised with this development because he thought he was being tried only for the crime of plunder and bribery was never part of the charge or information sheet.
“I thought after the Clerk of Court read that I was acquitted, it’s over,” he said. “What was indicated there was just plunder,” Estrada noted, aware that his legal battle is not yet done.
Estrada was implicated in the ‘pork barrel’ scam in 2014 along with fellow Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr. and then-Senate President turned Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile. They were all charged with plunder but were eventually acquitted on separate occasions.
Lawyer Alexis Suarez, who leads the Estrada legal team, is now preparing his motion for reconsideration (MR).
“We cannot be confident. We want everything to be clean and in order,” Estrada was quoted saying.
Estrada plans to continue working as a senator, saying the punishment of perpetual disqualification to hold public office cannot be applied to him since his bribery conviction is not yet final and executory.
Estrada aims to exhaust all legal remedies available to him, such as filing an MR, or elevating his case before the Supreme Court.
Asked if he told his father, former President Joseph Estrada about his acquittal, he said “yes.” He did not inform him about his conviction for bribery.
The senator also talked to Revilla, a personal friend, whom he jokingly referred to as “kakosa” or jail mate when they were both held at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame back in the day. He said Revilla wished him luck.
Estrada said he has not spoken yet to Enrile.