Jinggoy ready to prove innocence in plunder case

Senator-elect Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada dared the government yesterday to pursue the plunder case against him so he can prove his innocence in court.

"They should pursue it so I can defend myself," he said in a telephone interview.

"It will give me the opportunity to clear my name, the opportunity to prove that the charges against me are all fabricated."

Estrada said he is confident that the Supreme Court will not cancel his P500,000 bail despite the government’s move to have him return to jail.

"Their evidence against me is weak, which was why the Court granted me bail in the first place," he said.

Estrada also said he sees no disadvantage in a mother-son team in the Senate, the first in the chamber’s almost 100-year history.

"Mas makakatulong pa nga kami," he said.

Estrada said he is disappointed that his father, ousted President Joseph Estrada, would not be able to administer his oath of office as senator.

"Sa daddy ko ako nag oath-taking when I was elected mayor (of San Juan)," he said. "Sayang. Ngayon hindi na pwede."

Estrada is also the first senator to face corruption charges.

Earlier, Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio said Estrada’s election to the Senate will not affect the plunder case filed by the government against him and his father.

"The proceedings will continue. It will not affect the trial. We are not affected by his being elected to the Senate," he said.

Villa Ignacio said there is no law that "wipes out" the criminal cases of an accused if he is elected to public office.

"There is no jurisprudence on that," he said. "There is no law that says if you are an elected senator, the case against you will be wiped out."

Villa Ignacio was confident that the Supreme Court (SC) will return Estrada to police custody for the duration of the trial.

"Once the SC cancels his bail, then he has no choice but to go back to jail," he said.

Retired Sandiganbayan presiding justice Manuel Pamaran, one of Estrada’s lawyers, agreed with Villa Ignacio that his client’s election will have no bearing on the case.

"He still enjoys presumption of innocence," he said. "It will not affect the case."

The Sandiganbayan reset the hearing on the Estrada plunder case to June 30 after Pamaran and his collegues, retired Manila fiscal Jose Flaminiano and Noel Malaya, informed the justices they might elevate the issue on the demurrer to evidence to the Supreme Court.

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Minita Chico-Nazario told Estrada’s lawyers the trial will resume even if they elevate their motions to the high court, except when a restraining order is issued.

But Villa Ignacio remained hopeful the Estradas would present their evidence as soon as possible.

"This is to remove the doubts hanging over his head," he said. "If he is cleared, let it be."

Nazario and Justice Edilberto Sandoval had also advised defense lawyers to be prompt with their evidence if they want their client to be released from detention early.