Hold-departure order issued vs Estrada et al.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada: No problem. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Sandiganbayan has issued an order prohibiting the travel abroad of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and 13 others while the antigraft court is trying plunder and graft cases against them in connection with the alleged misuse of the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The court’s Fifth Division on Monday ordered the Bureau of Immigration to hold the departure from the country of Estrada and his coaccused, invoking its “inherent power to use all means necessary to carry its orders into effect, more specifically to preserve and maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the case and the persons of the accused… at all times.”

Estrada on Monday night shrugged off the issuance of the hold-departure order (HDO) against him. “I have no plans of leaving. It doesn’t matter,” Estrada curtly said by phone. “No problem with me.”

Earlier, Estrada declared that he would voluntarily surrender once the warrant for his arrest was issued. He had ruled out any out-of-the-country travels at this time, lest he be accused of trying to evade prosecution.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division and First Division, which are handling the consolidated PDAF-related cases also involving plunder and graft against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Bong Revilla, respectively, have so far not issued any other hold-departure order.

The order on Monday covered principal accused Janet Lim-Napoles, her employee John Raymund de Asis and Estrada’s former deputy chief of staff Pauline Labayen who were charged with plunder along with Estrada.

Also included were Estrada’s coaccused in the multiple graft cases: Napoles, De Asis and Labayen;  Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos; Rosario Nuñez, Lalaine Paule and Marilou Bare of the Department of Budget and  Management; former National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) president Allan Javellana; and former Nabcor executives Rhodora Mendoza, Maria Julie Villaralvo-Johnson, Victor Roman Cacal, Maria Ninez Guanizo and Romulo Relevo.

Estrada, said he had no contact with Labayen. “I don’t know where she is,” he said.

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Roland Jurado chairs the Fifth Division while Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo is a member. A seat for a third member of the division is still vacant.

Enrile’s case will be handled by the Third Division chaired by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, the most junior member of the antigraft court whom President Aquino appointed last October. The other Third Division members are Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Alex Quiroz.

Revilla’s case will be handled by the First Division headed by Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, with Associate Justices Rodolfo Ponferrada and Rafael Lagos as members.

On Monday, Enrile filed another petition in the Sandiganbayan asking the court to review the Ombudsman’s decision and determine whether there was probable cause to file the case in the first place.

Napoles and her children, Jo Christine Napoles and James Christopher Napoles, likewise filed separate petitions on Monday asking the Sandiganbayan to determine probable cause first and in the meantime suspend the proceedings and defer issuing any arrest warrant against them.

The two Napoles children are among Enrile’s coaccused in the graft charges.

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