(ABS-CBN NEWS) MANILA — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Friday said he would “exhaust all legal remedies” after the Sandiganbayan acquitted him of plunder and found him guilty of direct and indirect bribery in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
Estrada said he was puzzled by the guilty verdict because based on the information sheet, there were no charges of bribery or indirect bribery filed against him.
“It is only the case of plunder. And I have already been acquitted. I have been exonerated of plunder and I will ask my lawyers to exhaust all legal remedies, all legal options available for me. But I still believe in our justice system,” he told reporters.
The senator noted that he could still file a motion for reconsideration on the decision that sentenced to 8-9 years for direct bribery and 2-3 years for indirect bribery.
“Nothing is final, ok? That is appealable,” Estrada said.
The senator, son of former President Joseph Estrada, was charged with plunder based on the Commission on Audit’s 2007 to 2009 report on how Estrada supposedly spent his PDAF.
The promulgation on his case happened after 10 years of waiting.
“Of course, kahit matagal, maganda naman yung resulta. Maganda naman yung kinalabasan. Kaya ako ay nagpapasalamat. Unang -una sa ating Panginoon, pangalawa sa ating mga mahistrado dito sa ating Sandiganbayan, yung aking pamilya who stood with me, stood by me, through thick and thin,” Estrada said.
“I’m going to rest,” he added, when asked about his immediate plans.
The court said Estrada and Napoles were acquitted of plunder “based on reasonable doubt” after the prosecution failed to prove that the lawmaker amassed at least P50 million in ill-gotten wealth.
However, the prosecution proved that P262 million worth of Special Allotment Releases Orders (SAROs) involved in the case were transferred to several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) controlled by Napoles and that the PDAF projects they implemented were ghost or fictitious projects.
“The actual amount of Php262,034,000.00, which are public funds transferred by implementing agencies to the two NGOs of accused Napoles, constitutes the actual damages suffered by the Government resulting from the unlawful scheme,” the Sandiganbayan said.
“The disbursements proven in this case to have been given by Napoles to accused Estrada (Php1,000,000.00) and [Estrada’s former aide Pauline] Labayen (Php8,875,000.00)…cannot be deducted from the Php262,034,000.00 because such disbursements are unlawful and illegitimate transactions,” it added.
The Sandiganbayan ordered Estrada to pay a fine of P3 million.
It said Napoles should pay the government P262.034 million, plus a 6-percent interest per annum until full payment.
The court also found Napoles guilty of 5 counts of corruption of public officials and ordered her to pay a fine of P29.625 million.