SC dismisses Jinggoy Estrada's PDAF petitions

The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc has dismissed multiple petitions filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada related to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) cases.

The SC declared the petitions concerning the plunder cases as "moot and academic" following Estrada's acquittal by the Sandiganbayan on January 19, 2024.

The SC also dismissed his graft petitions, rejecting his argument that the graft charges should be "absorbed" by the plunder cases.

The Court explained that plunder involves a public official directly enriching himself, with Estrada's plunder case linked to at least P183.79 million in alleged kickbacks from businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

Meanwhile, graft involves giving unwarranted benefits to private individuals, with Estrada facing 11 counts of graft involving roughly P255.11 million from his PDAF funds.