MANILA, June 1 (Reuters) – A Philippine senator who is the son of a former president was detained on Monday after surrendering to police in line with a court order on suspicion of taking kickbacks as part of a scandal that sparked huge protests last year.
The anti-graft court ordered the arrest of Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada for plunder, a non-bailable offence. The Office of the Ombudsman last week charged Estrada with violating anti-corruption laws for taking illicit payouts worth 573 million pesos ($9.3 million).
Last autumn, anti-corruption protests drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of the capital Manila.
Estrada was taken to a jail facility in Quezon City within the capital region of Metro Manila, to be held until the end of his trial.
His co-accused, including former public works minister Manuel Bonoan, were also placed under arrest.
Estrada told reporters at the Senate that he would not opt to seek refuge from arrest in the upper house:
“I am ready to defend myself before the court and I will not hide behind the institution to evade the process.”
He posted bail last week for a separate offence.
The corruption scandal, which has centred on dangerously flawed flood-control facilities across the Philippines, has shaken the graft-weary nation and slowed economic growth in recent quarters.
Estrada has been jailed twice before, also on corruption offences, while his father, Joseph Estrada, was the first former president to be convicted of plunder.
His successor, Gloria Arroyo, pardoned the former president and ordered his release, paving the way for his return to politics.
($1 = 61.7010 Philippine pesos)
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Nestor Corrales; Editing by John Mair and Kevin Liffey)
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