New Sandigan justice completes 3-man court for Jinggoy Estrada arraignment next week
Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada waves to the media and supporters as he is escorted to his detention cell after surrendering to police authorities Monday, June 23, 2014 at Philippine National Police headquarters at suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. AP
MANILA, Philippines — The newly appointed Sandiganbayan Associate justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta will be present during the arraignment of Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada next week, a court official said Tuesday.
Lawyer Teresa Pabulayen, fifth division clerk of court, confirmed that Estoesta, a former judge of the Manila regional trial court, would be present when associate Justice Roland Jurado hears the plunder case against Estrada who surrendered to the police after the issuance of an arrest warrant on Monday.
Estoeta will be part of a three-man fifth division, along with Jurado, its chairman, and Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo who will hear the plunder case against Estrada.
Estrada, who has been tagged in the pork barrel scam, surrendered to police after the issuance of an arrest warrant on Monday.
Estoesta served as presiding judge in the Manila metropolitan trial court before being judge of the Manila regional trial court. She also served at the Solicitor General’s office from 1991 to 2002.
Estoesta graduated with a political science degree from De La Salle University and studied law at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Among her citations are: most outstanding judge for first-level courts in the Supreme Court’s search for judicial excellence in 2005, and Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano awardee as most outstanding judge for second-level courts in 2012.
The anti-graft court is hearing the biggest corruption scandal under the current administration — the alleged pillaging of public funds to ghost projects for kickbacks.
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