MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has ordered the preventive suspension of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada for 90 days pending litigation of the graft case filed against him.
The suspension issued by the anti-graft court's second division starts from receipt of the court's resolution.
Last May, the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder and graft cases against Estrada and several others.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the cases stemmed from "an intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) infrastructure portfolio for Fiscal Year 2025."
Clavano said case records pointed to "an accumulated sum of illicit payouts" totaling P573 million, "which were systematically delivered to" Estrada.
The senator has said in Filipino in a statement, "I am determined to face this case and prove that the accusations against me are not true."
