Government lawyers to conclude presentation of witnesses vs Estrada by October

Government lawyers prosecuting the corruption charge against former President Joseph Estrada would likely wrap up their presentation of witnesses on the plunder charge by the end of the month.

Solicitor General Simeon Marcelo said yesterday only a "few witnesses" are expected to appear before the special division of the Sandiganbayan, chaired by Acting Presiding Justice Minita Chico-Nazario, trying the four criminal charges against Estrada.

Marcelo said that after the testimony of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, only a few more witnesses will be needed to establish that, during his presidency, Estrada was involved in protecting operators of the illegal numbers game called jueteng.

Estrada’s involvement in the jueteng protection racket is expected to establish the existence of one of the four elements of plunder, a capital crime theoretically punishable by death, Marcelo explained.

"These few witnesses who will follow Mr. Singson will be finished in less than two weeks or before the end of the month. We will be tying up loose ends in the jueteng charges," Marcelo said.

Marcelo expressed confidence that Singson’s testimony and the documents supporting the testimony would be very persuasive.

"Singson’s testimony was not only contemporaneous but truthful and supported by documents. His testimony is very credible because (it) is backed by bank documents. Estrada only made a general denial during the impeachment trial of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee," Marcelo said.

After the jueteng protection racket, Marcelo said the prosecution panel will present bank executive Clarissa Ocampo, who is expected to testify that Estrada owned the controversial Jose Velarde accounts which Estrada allegedly used to launder the proceeds of the racket.

Ocampo had testified during Estrada’s impeachment trial in December 2000 that she presented certain bank documents to Estrada and she was only a foot away when Estrada signed under the fictitious name Jose Velarde.

‘Guilty or guilty’

"Estrada has only two choices in his cases, guilty or guilty," Marcelo said.

"Always follow the bouncing ball," Marcelo said, when asked how strong the case is turning out so far.

"The jueteng money, according to Singson, amounting to P123 million was turned over by him to Estrada’s jueteng accountant-auditor Yolanda Ricaforte. Who is Ricaforte? A close friend of Estrada," Marcelo said.

"Then another P200 million jueteng money goes also to lawyer Edward Serapio. Serapio was a legal adviser of Estrada when he was still president," he added.

He said Serapio was also a director of the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation, the alleged beneficiary of the P200 million fund which was also deposited in the foundation’s bank account.

"The chairman of the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation was Estrada’s brother-in-law Raul de Guzman. You see the trail," Marcelo said.

Marcelo said the prosecution was also able to establish that some P8 million, representing interest on the P62 million that Estrada lent to his businessman-crony William Gatchalian, was deposited in the bank account that Estrada’s wife, Sen. Luisa Ejercito, maintained at the San Juan branch of Citibank.

Singson also testified that the P1.2 million he supposedly contributed to Estrada – so he could buy a necklace, worth P13 million, for the former president’s favorite mistress Laarni Enriquez – was traced to Enriquez’s bank account.

Loose lips

"It was also confirmed by Estrada’s former spokesman (Aprodicio) Lacquian that Estrada gave a total amount of P5 million to American publicist Paul Bougrad. Bougrad’s services was allegedly hired by Estrada to boost his image during his all-out war campaign against the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao," Marcelo said.

Marcelo said the P5 million check was later traced to Bougrad’s Security Bank account in Manila.

"We will also present in court as documentary evidence Lacquian’s book, entitled The Centennial President and Tales from the Snake Pit, where he confirmed that Estrada was not a guarantor but a lender to Gatchalian of P500 million which was deposited in the Jose Velarde account," Marcelo said.

Marcelo said that bank officials of the Citibank and Security Bank will be presented by the prosecution to prove that the P8 million, P1.2 million and P5 million indeed went to the bank accounts of Sen. Ejercito, Enriquez and Bougrad.