Jinggoy Estrada: Halt in pork scam probe ‘politically motivated’

Former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said the decision of the National Bureau of Investigation not to look into the pork barrel scam beyond the network of alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles proved that his prosecution was “selective and politically motivated.”

Estrada made this claim before the Supreme Court in a March 9, 2018, supplement to his petition questioning the Ombudsman’s March 2014 order to charge him with plunder.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division received a copy of the high court filing on April 2.

The pleading cited the testimony of NBI agent Rodante Berou, who said during the trial that the agency stopped its investigation after the “third batch” of complaints were filed in the Ombudsman in August 2015.

Estrada interpreted Berou’s statement as proof that the “disparity of treatment between the members of the (Aquino) administration and the leaders of the (then) opposition is unmistakable.” —Vince F. Nonato