Jinggoy Estrada hires legal eagle for defense

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has engaged the services of one of the country’s brightest lawyers, Estelito Mendoza, a former solicitor general and justice minister of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Estrada is under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman on a complaint of plunder brought against him by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has recommended that his passport be canceled.

Estrada is challenging the legality of the order. In a move that could embarrass De Lima, the senator has decided to accompany his wife on a medical treatment trip to the United States.

Estrada said in a radio interview on Thursday that Mendoza, 83, had requested documents concerning his case from the Department of Justice. He also complained that the five days given him by De Lima to explain why his passport should not be canceled was “too short.”

Under the passport law, the travel document could be canceled if the holder is facing criminal charges in court, among other conditions.—Norman Bordadora