By Ellalyn De Vera Ruiz
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has rejected Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada’s motions to consolidate or jointly hear his plunder and graft cases involving alleged irregularities in the 2025 national budget.
In a resolution promulgated on June 24, the court denied Estrada’s request to merge Criminal Case Nos. E‑SB‑26‑CRM‑0005 and E‑SB‑26‑CRM‑0006 with Criminal Case No. E‑SB‑26‑CRM‑0004.
The ruling, penned by Fifth Division Chairperson Associate Justice Zaldy V. Trespeses and concurred in by Associate Justices Fritz Bryn Anthony M. Delos Santos and Bayani H. Jacinto, emphasized that consolidation would stall proceedings.
Estrada argued that the cases stemmed from related transactions and shared evidence, but the court ruled that the plunder case—carrying reclusion perpetua and requiring bail hearings—would delay the graft cases if tried together.
The Fifth Division also noted that the graft cases involve distinct transactions: one concerning flood control projects in Bulacan and the other in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The court concluded that forcing consolidation would unnecessarily halt progress in separate divisions and compel defendants unrelated to certain cases to participate in proceedings.
