THE Sandiganbayan has rejected an appeal to reinstate the conviction of Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on charges of direct bribery and indirect bribery.
In an eight-page decision dated November 27, the anti-graft court dismissed the prosecution’s motion for reconsideration, citing the principle of double jeopardy. This rule prohibits a person from being tried or convicted twice for the same offense.
The court explained that revisiting the case would violate Estrada’s right against double jeopardy, as he had already been acquitted in the previous ruling.
“His acquittal cannot be challenged under the guise of a motion for reconsideration,” the court said.
In August, the Sandiganbayan had cleared Estrada of charges related to the alleged misuse of P183 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations, ruling that there was insufficient evidence.
Earlier this year, Estrada was acquitted of plunder charges but was found guilty of bribery.
In their motion, the prosecution argued that the Sandiganbayan had made an error in overturning its earlier guilty verdict against Estrada, and contended that the charges of direct and indirect bribery were essentially the same.
However, the court stated that these issues had already been thoroughly addressed and reiterated that it was unnecessary to revisit them.
The Sandiganbayan’s ruling marks the final dismissal of the prosecution’s appeal.