Investigator unable to testify in Estrada’s case, blocked by lawyers

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada (Facebook photo)

MANILA – During Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s P184-million plunder case hearing, the prosecution was unable to present in court the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s (AMLC) findings as they were successfully objected and blocked by the defense lawyers.

AMLC investigator Orlando Negradas Jr. was then unable to testify regarding Senator Estrada and his family’s bank transactions. Negradas was among the three-man team tasked to look into the bank accounts of the senator and his family.

Estrada’s lawyers Sabino Acut Jr. and Paul Mar Arias asserted that the information Negradas wanted to present was already included in an earlier AMLC report. Thus, there was no need for a new testimony.

“We object to the materiality of (Negradas’ testimony). During the hearing on March 23, he already admitted that the AMLC investigation did not show the underlying transactions in the movement of funds (in Estrada’s bank accounts),” Acut said during the bail hearing.

Sustaining the defense lawyers’ objections, Associate Justice Roland Jurado ordered the prosecution to present findings not included in the AMLC report.

With the prosecution unable to present any new information, the court then terminated Negradas’ testimony.

Estrada was satisfied with the outcome of the hearing and his lawyers’ defense.

“As you can see from the outcome of the bail hearing, even the court has noticed that the delay is caused by the prosecution and not by me or my lawyers,” he told reporters after the hearing.

Estrada is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame while his case is still being heard.