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Updated · Bloomberg · May 28Philippines Charges Senator Jinggoy Estrada in Multibillion-Peso Flood Graft Case
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 28
- The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday filed plunder and graft charges against Senator Jinggoy Estrada at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
- The case centers on an alleged multibillion-peso scheme that siphoned money meant for flood infrastructure in the typhoon-prone Philippines.
- Prosecutors said the scandal slowed economic growth and fueled public anger over the misuse of funds for critical public works.
- Estrada is the highest-ranking public official sued in the case so far, and the anti-graft court can order his arrest.
A top official turned state witness. Which other powerful figures will his billion-peso kickback testimony bring down next? Billions in flood funds were stolen. Will new anti-graft laws finally protect the nation's most vulnerable from disaster and corruption? With a new blockchain system to track funds, can the Philippines end its trillion-peso 'ghost project' and kickback schemes?