MANILA, Philippines — Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow him to travel abroad at the end of March while his remaining graft cases continue to be heard by the anti-graft court.
In a motion filed Tuesday before the court’s Fifth Division, Estrada informed the tribunal of his plan to visit Hong Kong and Macau—both special administrative regions of China—as well as Japan from March 31 to April 5.
Under the conditions set by the court, Estrada must first secure approval before leaving the country because of the charges still pending against him.
The senator and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles were earlier cleared of plunder charges related to the alleged misuse of about ₱200 million from the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund, commonly known as the pork barrel fund. Despite the acquittal, the Sandiganbayan previously ruled that the separate graft charges filed against Estrada would proceed.
Estrada currently faces 11 counts of graft tied to the same controversy.
He had also been convicted in the past of direct and indirect bribery after prosecutors alleged he received ₱6.7 million in kickbacks linked to his pork barrel allocations. However, the Sandiganbayan later overturned that conviction in August.
Because of the unresolved cases, Estrada is required to obtain court authorization each time he plans to travel outside the Philippines.
The senator has made similar requests in the past. In November last year, the court approved his travel to Japan from December 26 to 31, followed by trips to Norway, Iceland and Austria earlier this year after he complied with the court’s travel requirements.
Separately, Estrada has also been mentioned in allegations involving flood control projects. Brice Hernandez, a former assistant district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways, claimed the senator helped secure ₱355 million worth of projects in Bulacan’s first district in exchange for a supposed 30-percent commission.
Estrada denied the accusation, saying his previous involvement in the pork barrel controversy has made him a frequent target of corruption allegations.
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