Erap plunder trial ends, verdict out by September

The trial proper of former President Joseph Estrada’s plunder and perjury case ended Friday afternoon as the prosecution and defense panels finished giving their closing arguments before the Sandiganbayan. The seven-hour trial adjourned shortly after prosecution lawyers declined to rebut the closing arguments presented by defense lawyers. In a television interview, Estrada expressed confidence he would be exonerated, saying prosecutors lodged “trumped-up charges." A verdict is expected in 90 days or by September.

Estrada's lawyers gave their rebuttal starting Friday noon of plunder and perjury charges lodged against the ousted leader in closing arguments before the Sandiganbayan. After a brief recess, lawyer Estelito Mendoza started the rebuttal for Estrada's camp, which was been given three hours to present its case. Radio station dzBB reported that Mendoza asserted that the prosecution failed to prove Estrada's guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The lawyer again denied that Estrada received payoffs from the jueteng illegal numbers game. He said the ousted leader did not benefit from the alleged diversion of tobacco excise taxes and that it is not true that Estrada is "Jose Velarde", whom witness Clarissa Ocampo had said he signed in a bank account. The Sandiganbayan went on a lunch break after Mendoza's presentation. Lawyers Rene Saguisag and Jose Flaminiano are due to give a further rebuttal of the charges against Estrada. Earlier in the day, prosecution lawyers accused former Estrada of lying on his net worth and the number of companies he owns. State prosecutor Julio Olaguer said the ousted leader made false declarations in his statements of asset, liabilities and net worth (SALNs). He said the prosecution had proven Estrada owned nine companies and not three as the accused had claimed. Olaguer started his summation of the perjury charge against Estrada by saying "lying is a sin" and closed it with the oft-used saying "honesty is the best policy." The prosecution in the plunder case of former President Joseph Estrada started their summation on Friday, 9:20 a.m. refuting the defense panel's argument that politics was behind the ousted leader's indictment. Earlier in the hearing, Chief Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio said Estrada's lawyers wasted pages on "moot and academic" matters by alleging politics was behind the former President's indictment. Villa-Ignacio reiterated allegations of Estrada receiving payoffs from jueteng, diversion of tobacco excise tax as alleged by former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit" Singson, irregularities in the purchase of stocks in Belle Corp. owned by Estrada associate Dante Tan by state pension firms GSIS and SSS, and the existence of the Jose Velarde bank accounts. Estrada arrived Friday 8 a.m. at the Sandiganbayan building along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City for the closing arguments of his case. Popularly known as "Erap", Estrada was elected President in 1998 but was impeached in late 2000 over payoffs he allegedly recieved from the jueteng illegal numbers game. His six-year term was cut short in January 2001 when he was ousted in the "EDSA 2" bloodless uprising. Estrada was arrested in April 2001 and has since been detained while facing plunder and perjury charges. -GMANews.TV