New arrest order out for Estrada

Bad luck continued to hound jailed former President Joseph Estrada as a Sandiganbayan special division ruled there was probable cause to prosecute him on a second perjury charge filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in August last year.

In a one-page order, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Minita Nazario ordered the arrest of Estrada who is currently confined at the state-run Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City while being tried for the capital offense of plunder by the anti-graft court.

"There being probable cause, you are hereby commanded to arrest Estrada of number 1 Polk Street, North Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila and who stand charged before us of the crime of perjury, and to bring him before us as soon as possible, to be dealt with under the law and rules of the court," Nazario said in her order issued to the Philippine National Police.

Ombudsman Prosecutor Pelagio Apostol filed the second perjury case against Estrada for alleged misdeclaration in his 1998 Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SAL).

Apostol recommended a bail of P10,000 for Estrada’s temporary liberty.

Apostol explained that the ousted leader lied when he declared in his 1998 SAL his total assets at P37,385,207.08 including P5,035,363.40 in cash and that his business interests were only JELP Real Estate and Development Corp.; JE Inc. and Feluisa Development Corp.

Apostol insisted that Estrada had P57,106,201.40 cash deposits in three banks alone, while his business concerns included LPL Land Syndication Inc., Asis-Ejercito Garments Inc., International Food Inc., Alpha Funds Inc., Prime Entertainment for Television Production Inc., ADE Food Inc., Electronic Sentry Systems Inc., All Hot Soup Inc. and FELT Food Services.

Estrada, who was ousted by a popular uprising called EDSA II, was also sued for perjury in connection with his 1999 SAL.

He is currently being tried for plunder for allegedly amassing more than P4 billion through a series of overt criminal acts.–Jose Rodel Clapano