Lacson: Sandigan resolves detained senators’ attendance in impeach trial

Sen. Panfilo Lacson FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Friday that the Sandiganbayan’s denial of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s bid to attend Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial may spare the impeachment court from acting on the proposal to communicate with the anti-graft court to allow detained senators to participate in the trial, saying such move from the Senate may possibly be seen as “interfering with an ongoing judicial process.”

His statement came as the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Friday junked Estrada’s motion seeking permission to attend the impeachment proceedings, ruling that the request lacked merit.

“That would spare the Impeachment Court from acting on the pending motion of Senator-Judge Alan Cayetano for us to ‘ask the Sandiganbayan to allow Senators Estrada (and Marcoleta) to participate in the impeachment trial,’ which may impliedly suggest that we are interfering with an ongoing judicial process,” Lacson said in a press release.

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