Court: Jinggoy can’t join VP impeachment trial; graft case stays
The Sandiganbayan court has denied Senator Jinggoy Estrada's request to participate in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The court also rejected his motion to dismiss graft and plunder charges related to flood control projects.
Why it matters
The ruling underscores the legal constraints on public officials facing criminal charges and impacts the political proceedings of the impeachment trial.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Photo from John Eric Mendoza The Sandiganbayan dealt twin legal blows on Sen. Jinggoy Estrada this week when it rejected his motion to junk one of his graft cases and prevented him from participating in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying that his request wasn’t an “emergency or compelling” reason.
Estrada has been detained since June 1 on one nonbailable charge of plunder in the antigraft court’s Fifth Division for alleged kickbacks he received from flood control projects in 2025—P350 million in Metro Manila and Oriental Mindoro and P213 million in Bulacan.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in