Estrada ‘in high spirits’ despite pending issuance of arrest warrant

Senator Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines—The lawyer of Senator Jinggoy Estrada said his client is ready to be detained if ever an arrest warrant is issued against Estrada for his plunder charge over the pork barrel scam.

“Ready… Sanay naman na sila maaresto. Okay naman siguro sila,” Atty. Jose Flaminiano said in an interview at the Sandiganbayan.

((He is) ready. He is already used to getting arrested. They are okay.)

Asked how Estrada is, Flaminiano said: “He’s in high spirits.”

Estrada had been detained for plunder with his father, former president Joseph Estrada, over jueteng charges. He now faces fresh plunder raps over the pork barrel scam.

The Ombudsman, in indicting the lawmaker, said Estrada amassed P183.795 million in commissions from 2004 to 2012 from the alleged illegal disbursement of his Priority Development Assistance Funds.

Estrada faces one count of plunder and 11 counts of graft.

Also charged are Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, as well as alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

So far, only Revilla has been found with probable cause by the Sandiganbayan. His arrest warrant has been signed.

The pork barrel scam is an elaborate scheme of allegedly diverting billions of public funds to ghost projects for kickbacks.

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