WHAT WENT BEFORE: P10-B pork barrel scam

In July 2013, the Inquirer broke the story on the scam to funnel P10 billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations of lawmakers to ghost projects in exchange for kickbacks in a scheme allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Former Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and other government officials were implicated in the pork barrel scam.

Estrada was accused of plunder and 11 counts of graft for allegedly pocketing P183 million from his PDAF allocation from 2004 to 2010.

The Ombudsman indicted Estrada, Enrile and Revilla in the Sandiganbayan for plunder and graft in June 2014 in connection with the pork barrel scam. Napoles was their coaccused.

Estrada surrendered to the Philippine National Police on June 23, 2014. The three senators were detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

On Jan. 7, 2016, the Sandiganbayan threw out the petition for bail of Estrada in his plunder case.

In its resolution, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division gave credence to the testimonies of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy, socialite Ruby Tuason and other state witnesses who admitted to participating in the scam.

The division said the Office of the Ombudsman was able to provide “strong evidence of guilt” against Estrada in support of its claim that he should be held liable for graft and plunder for receiving P183 million in kickbacks from Napoles.

On Sept. 12, 2016, Estrada filed an “omnibus motion” for bail invoking the so-called Arroyo ruling.

The Ombudsman objected to the motion as irregular, saying it was an attempt to skirt the prohibition on a second motion for reconsideration.

The Supreme Court acquitted former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of plunder in July 2016 in the P366-million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office intelligence fund case over the failure of the prosecution to identify the “main plunderer.”

Estrada was allowed to post bail on Sept. 16, 2016.

The Fifth Division, in a 3-2 decision, granted Estrada’s second pleading, an omnibus motion to post bail on insufficiency of evidence and humanitarian grounds. But it denied Estrada’s motion to dismiss the case.

SOURCE: INQUIRER ARCHIVES