Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada seeks to participate in the Senate impeachment proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte but withdraws his request before the Sandiganbayan. Both reports say the Sandiganbayan Second Division grants Estrada’s bid to withdraw a motion that asked for permission to attend the impeachment trial.
Inquirer.net further explains that the withdrawal is procedural. Estrada’s camp tells the Second Division that the motion was meant to be filed before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which handles Estrada’s plunder case. In a resolution dated July 1, the court records that the defense withdraws its “Motion to Allow Accused Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada to Attend the Senate Impeachment Trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.”
The Second Division’s action therefore reflects the withdrawal and does not indicate a decision on whether Estrada would be allowed to attend the impeachment trial. The reports present the key development as a correction of the proper court division where the request should have been filed.
