Ex-Chief Justice Narvasa, Nani Perez may testify in Estrada trial

A former chief justice and a former justice secretary will be among the next witnesses called by the defense in former President Joseph Estrada’s corruption trial at the Sandiganbayan.

Former chief justice Andres Narvasa defended Estrada during his 2000-2001 impeachment trial. He was already retired and a private lawyer by then.

Hernando Perez, meanwhile, was appointed justice secretary by President Arroyo after Estrada’s ouster in 2001. Perez was a Batangas congressman and one of the prosecutors in the impeachment trial.

Estrada’s lawyer Jose Flaminiano was forced to reveal the defense team’s next witnesses before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court after Chief State Prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio charged the defense had run out of witnesses and was losing its case.

"It is not true that we are running out of witnesses," Flaminiano said.

Last week, the defense called Villa Ignacio as its "hostile" witness, claiming the prosecution had been hostile to Estrada. The move, which the defense later dropped, took everyone by surprise.

They also called one of their own to the witness stand, lawyer Raymond Fortun, before calling on Ignacio.

Estrada was ousted in 2001 by a military-backed popular uprising following allegations that he ran an illegal gambling protection racket during his 31-month presidency.

He is on trial for plunder, a charge that carries the maximum penalty of death.

Estrada denies the charges and maintains his ouster was illegal and that he enjoys parliamentary immunity.

At yesterday’s resumption of the trial, the defense presented Benedicto Flores, who served as a security guard at Estrada’s San Juan residence in 1998.

The move was meant to discredit the testimony of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson, the prosecution’s main witness, who said he and Estrada associate Charlie Ang once delivered P130 million in cash to Estrada’s residence in Greenhills, San Juan in August 1998, just months after Estrada assumed office. The amount was allegedly kickback money given to Estrada.

Flores testified that the money could not have been delivered there without being seen by members of the Presidential Security Group.

Singson’s allegations set off a chain of events that eventually led to Estrada’s ouster.

Defense lawyers called Singson’s account doubtful, arguing that a million pesos in P1,000 bills would weigh about a kilo, and that P130 million was too heavy for one person to carry at one time.

However, prosecutors point out none of their witnesses had testified the money was delivered at one time or by a single person.