Justice jokes Jinggoy’s bail hearing could take up to two years

A frustrated Sandiganbayan Justice Roland Jurado on Monday joked that at the rate the bail hearings of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is going, he won't be surprised that a single witness might take up to two years to finish. 

 

"Sabihin ko sa inyo, aabutin talaga tayo ng two years ha, sa AMLC pa lang," Jurado said in court, after lawyers of the persecution and defense argued over the evidence to be presented by Anti-Money Laundering Council investigator Orlando Negradas. 

 

Estrada, who is detained on graft and plunder charges for allegedly diverting millions in pork barrel funds to bogus NGOs owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, was also present in the hearing. 

The senator faces one count of plunder and 11 counts of graft as he is accused of pocketing P183.79 million in kickbacks from dealings with fake NGOs from 2004 to 2012. The Ombudsman said Estrada chose bogus NGOs as “project partners” for livelihood projects financed by his Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel).

 

Negradas was able to testify that the AMLC investigation uncovered that certain erroneous transactions occurred between Estrada's accounts and certain dummies. However his testimony was cut short when objections arose from the defense that certain documents have yet to be entered as evidence. 

 

After lengthy arguments, Justice Alexander Gesmundo tasked both parties to sit together to discuss the necessary stipulations for the hearings to move forward. 

 

For his part, Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano concurred with the justices that the hearing can't move forward without prior stipulation. 

 

"Kasi dapat naman talaga i-identify nung witness 'yung documents sa report. 'Yun ang pinagbasehan niya. Ang problema, dahil hindi magkasundo-sundo sa stipulation na matagal nang ginagawa, kaya nade-delay tayo ngayon. Tama si Justice Gesmundo na kung pinagkasunduan ninyo 'yung mga documents na tinransmit ng mga bangko sa witness, maa-identify niya," he said. 

 

However, Justiniano admitted that it will take time for the prosecution and defense to reach a consensus on the documents. 

 

"Siyempre ang stipulation, negotiation 'yan. Maaaring 'yung aming proposal ay hindi katanggap-tanggap sa mga defense counsel. Expected naman 'yan. Ngayon kung may ayaw ang depensa dun, eh 'di pwede siyang tanungin ng korte kung bakit nila ayaw 'yun," he said. 

 

However for his part, Estrada slammed the prosecution for delaying the proceedings. 

 

"That is the strategy of the prosecution panel to delay and drag this bail hearing. Dapat 'yung bail hearing it's summary in nature. Dapat pumayag na silang mag-stipulate. Eh sila 'yung ayaw pumayag eh," Estrada said. 

 

But Estrada noted that his lawyers still want to know what documents will be presented before they agree to certain stipulations.  

 

"Kaso ayaw nila pumayag, take it or leave it attitude ang ginagawa nila. Eh agrabyado naman kami dun. Baka kung anu-ano isingit nila, kawawa naman ako dun, that's unfair," he said. —KG, GMA News