(Eagle News)–The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Friday, Jan. 19, acquitted Senator Jinggoy Estrada of plunder in connection with the pork barrel scam.
Estrada, however, was convicted by the anti-graft court of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery.
For direct bribery, Estrada may face jail time of eight to nine years.
For indirect bribery, meanwhile, he may face imprisonment of at least two to three years.
Estrada was charged over P55.79 million in alleged kickbacks from the transfer of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fake non-government organizations owned by Janet Lim Napoles.
He was among three then-senators who were charged in connection with the pork barrel scam.
The other two were incumbent Senator Bong Revilla, who was eventually acquitted in 2018, and Juan Ponce Enrile, whose trial is ongoing.
Enrile, who is out on bail in consideration of his age, was allowed to file a motion to dismiss the case against him in October last year.