MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Sandiganbayan 5th Division granted former senator Jinggoy Estrada’s motion to undergo medical tests at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.

During an open court hearing on Monday, January 9, the anti-graft court said it will allow the former senator to go to the hospital on Tuesday, January 10, from noontime to 6 pm for X-ray and MRI examinations.

Estrada will shoulder his security costs for the hospital visit. Use of communication gadgets will also be under the supervision of the police.

In a motion submitted last January 6, the Estrada camp said he felt pain in his left knee, which worsens when getting up from a sitting position, and that the pain had been persistent despite rest and medication.

This is the 4th time that Estrada has been granted a furlough. The other 3 times that the 5th Division allowed the former senator time-out from detention had been to attend his son’s graduation, visit his ailing mother-in-law, and vote in the May 2016 elections.

Estrada is detained for plunder and graft charges at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

He is accused of allegedly receiving kickbacks from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in an intricate scheme now known as the pork barrel scam. – Rappler.com