Sandiganbayan allows Sen. Estrada to vote on May 9

Sen. Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada’s mugshots.

MANILA—The Sandiganbayan on Thursday allowed detained Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada to vote in the May 9 national elections.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division gave Estrada a period of from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 9, 2016 to leave his detention quarters at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City to travel to his voting precinct in Xavier School, San Juan City.

Estrada was allowed to vote only for national positions after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order on April 19, 2016 on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution involving the detainee voting.

Estrada’s daughter, Janella Ejercito is running for vice mayor in San Juan City.

Estrada is being detained for the “non-bailable” offense of plunder for allegedly getting Php183 million “kickbacks” from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2004 to 2012 channeled through a bogus non-government organization (NGO) of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.