Former Department of Public Works (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan will remain an accused before the Sandiganbayan Second Division after it affirmed its ruling to deny the prosecution’s bid to discharge him from his remaining graft case.
Bonoan’s graft case in this court division stemmed from his alleged conspiracy with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to ensure the inclusion of flood control projects in Bulacan in the 2025 budget where the senator allegedly got a P213.7 million kickback.
On Aug. 10, prosecution filed a motion for reconsideration (MR) on the Second Division’s denial of their motion to amend the information to discharge Bonoan, which was denied by the court.
With the denial of their MR, the prosecution told the court during Tuesday’s pretrial proceedings that they are still awaiting approval from the Office of the Ombudsman as to their next steps.
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg asked the prosecution: ‘What do you want us to do with regards Bonoan then?’
‘DSP, are you going to let him testify as a witness?’ Econg asked Deputy Special Prosecutor Manuel Soriano.
‘In the meantime … he is an accused,’ Soriano said of Bonoan.
The former DPWH chief appeared in the pretrial proceedings personally, while Estrada attended through teleconferencing.
Bonoan is out after posting P90,000 bail in this court.
He used to be a co-accused of Estrada in his plunder case in the Fifth Division over alleged kickbacks worth P573 million, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors filed before the Fifth Division motion to amend the information containing the formal charges in plunder case to remove Bonoan from it, as the Office of the Ombudsman accepted his offer to become a state witness.