‘Erap could be taken off corruption list’

Ousted President Joseph Estrada’s name may be stricken off the controversial report of Berlin-based think tank Transparency International (TI) accusing him of embezzling $78 million from the national treasury, Estrada’s political party said yesterday.

In a statement, the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) said TI may revise certain portions of its 2004 Global Corruption Report following a flurry of protests and the threat of a possible lawsuit from Estrada’s camp.

Quoting Dolores Español, chairwoman of TI’s Philippine office, the statement said she is personally leading an effort to correct portions of the controversial report on corruption.

Español was quoted as having questioned in a letter to Eigen and Peter Rooke, TI’s director for the Asia/Pacific Region, the factual basis of the report’s entries on Estrada’s alleged embezzlement.

"Principally, the bone of contention of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s negative reaction is : What is the factual basis or source of TI’s report that he allegedly embezzled $78 million to 80 million?" the statement quoted Español as having said.

"TI’s report cited CNN and Inter Press as the source of the figures of $78 million to 80 million. Upon what factual basis did CNN or Inter Press cite such figures? Did TI verify said figures or did TI have any other basis independently of the CNN or Inter Press figures?

"These are crucial inquiries which must be traversed directly if TI is to maintain its credibility and professional reputation in the Philippines and in the world community."

The statement said Español must have thought that the $78 million to $80 million, which the report alleged Estrada had embezzled, could have been "taken simply" from a conversion into dollars of the P4,097,804,173.17 contained in the criminal information for plunder against Estrada.

"The plunder case is still pending further proceedings in court and it is in keeping with the proper conduct of civilized and law-abiding citizens of any country and of responsible and law-abiding international entities such as Transparency International to allow the judicial proceedings to take its natural legal course — completely free from any extraneous statements disruptive of the judicial proceedings — until final disposition of the plunder case," the statement quoted Español’s letter.

"From all the foregoing considerations, I humbly request that Transparency International revisit and reconsider its inclusion of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in the Global Corruption Report of 2004.

"Immediate deletion of the name of President Estrada from the Global Corruption Report 2004 (is) advisedly in order. Transparency International’s mission and objective of vigorously and effectively fighting corruption anywhere in the world will not and cannot be served or enhanced by precipitate statements or unsupported and unverified reports that this or that person is ‘corrupt.’"

Español’s letter also detailed various legal points raised by Estrada’s court-appointed lawyers which tended to debunk the basis of the four cases against him before the Sandiganbayan, the statement added.