Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is set to face fresh plunder and malversation charges before the Sandiganbayan over alleged irregularities in a multi-million-peso flood control project, even as he recently took a key oversight post in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Tuesday, May 26, that the criminal information will be filed on Thursday.
“Hopefully, we will file it first thing in the morning by Thursday,” Remulla said.
He said he is set to sign the case information later in the day, adding that the case stems from an alleged anomalous government flood control project currently under investigation.
Once filed, Estrada would become the third lawmaker implicated in the widening scandal, following former senator Bong Revilla and former lawmaker Zaldy Co.
The development comes days after Estrada was named vice chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which is tasked with probing alleged irregularities involving government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations, and other state instrumentalities in aid of legislation.
The Ombudsman’s move also comes amid parallel legal actions involving other lawmakers tied to related allegations, including a separate petition for a precautionary hold departure order against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over plunder and indirect bribery accusations.
Estrada has previously been embroiled in high-profile corruption cases, including the pork barrel scam, where he was earlier convicted of bribery-related offenses before later being acquitted of plunder charges.
