Luy, Tuason to appear in Jinggoy bail hearing

MANILA, Philippines - Government prosecutors will be presenting 24 witnesses, including whistleblowers Benhur Luy and Ruby Tuason, during the bail hearing of Senator Jinggoy Estrada at the Sandiganbayan 5th Division.

In a manifestation submitted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to the 5th Division, Luy and Tuason will be called to take the witness stand during the petition for bail by Estrada.

Estrada, saddled with plunder and  graft cases, is now detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Aside from the whistleblowers in the P10 billion pork barrel scam, allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Napoles, the prosecution team will also present documents including the special audit report of the Commission on Audit, the Special Allotment Release Orders from 2008 to 2009 and Notice of Cash Allocations to bolster its case against Estrada.

"The prosecution reserves the right to present additional documentary as well as testimonial evidence during the hearing on the petition for bail," the government lawyers added in their manifestation.