Judgement Day for Erap

Deposed president Joseph Estrada was sentenced Wednesday by the Sandiganbayan's Special Division to life in prison and barred from holding public office after being found guilty of the crime of plunder in a marathon six-year trial.

On one of the other charges, Estrada was acquitted of perjury and the Sandiganbayan allowed him to return to his Tanay, Rizal resthouse, "until further order of this court."

Witnesses said the former leader cried when he heard the verdict after a landmark trial on charges that he took bribes and kickbacks in office.

The antigraft court also ordered Estrada to hand over P732.4 million worth of bank accounts and a piece of property known as the “Boracay Mansion."

Estrada bought the Boracay Mansion, a property consisting of a house located at No. 100 11th Street, New Manila, Quezon City, using P142-million jueteng (numbers racket) money, the court said.

Reports had it that Estrada bought the Boracay Mansion as a gift for Laarni Enriquez, a soap opera actress in the late '70s until the '80s and one of his known young mistresses.

Boracay mansion is so named because the mansion’s swimming pool is surrounded by fine white sand just like the beaches of Boracay.

(The Boracay Mansion was first exposed by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in late October 2000. Then PCIJ writer Chay Florentino Hofilena wrote the story. A Tagalog tabloid, Pinoy Times founded by press freedom icon Eugenia "Eggie" Apostol, also contributed in exposing Estrada's other mansions. The Pinoy Times also got the famous Luis "Chavit" Singson’s quote in October 2000 “Patay kung patay" following his exposé on Estrada's kickbacks. - The editors)

The bank deposits were P542.7 million including P200 million under the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation deposited with Equitable-PCI Bank, and the P189.7 million commission from the purchase of Belle Corporation Shares by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System that ended up into the Jose Velarde account.

The court acquitted the former leader on the lesser charge of perjury due to lack of evidence.

"As expected, this Special Division was created to convict me," Estrada told journalists as he was led out of the courtroom.

"What is important is the support of the people, and they have overwhelmingly acquitted me. This is a political decision," he said.

Estrada's son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and lawyer Eduardo Serapio were acquitted of all charges during the 15-minute court hearing.

Clad in cream-colored “barong tagalog," Estrada arrived at the Sandiganbayan court at 9:13 a.m. accompanied by his wife, former Senator Luisa ‘Loi’ Estrada, and his sons, Sen. Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada, San Juan Mayor Jose Victor Ejercito, Jude Estrada and daughter Jackie Ejercito-Lopez.

Estrada was also wearing a wristband with the presidential seal and a pin of the Philippine flag on the left lapel of his barong.

The court session started at 9:20 a.m. and ended at 9:35 a.m.

Defense lawyer Jose Flaminiano told the court that Estrada wanted only the dispositive portion of the decision.

The special division clerk of court, lawyer Ma. Teresa Pabulayan, delivered the court’s verdict. She read the perjury ruling first that acquitted Estrada of the charge. Estrada’s acquittal of the perjury case did not draw any reaction from the people in the courtroom.


Source\; http://www.gmanews.tv/story/60237/
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