The Sandiganbayan has issued another warrant of arrest against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, this time in connection with a non-bailable plunder case.
The warrant was issued by the Fifth Division of the anti-graft court, days after Estrada posted bail for a separate graft charge.
Before the warrant was issued, Estrada said his legal team had filed motions seeking to consolidate the cases pending before the Sandiganbayan’s Second and Fifth Divisions.
His camp also asked the court to defer the implementation of the arrest warrants, quash the charges, and remand the cases for reinvestigation or completion of the preliminary investigation.
The graft and plunder charges stem from alleged budget insertions and kickback schemes involving flood control projects worth P573 million.
This is the third time Estrada has faced a plunder charge.
In 2007, he was acquitted in the plunder case linked to the jueteng scandal involving his father, former President Joseph Estrada.
In 2024, the Sandiganbayan also cleared him of plunder in connection with the alleged misuse of P183 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations. That same year, the court reversed its earlier conviction against him for direct and indirect bribery.
Despite the acquittals, Estrada continues to face a separate graft case also related to the PDAF.
The court has yet to issue a final ruling on the motions filed by Estrada’s camp in connection with the latest plunder case.