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The Estrada Case in Brief President Estrada is charged with violation of Republic Act 7080, or Anti-Plunder Law on four counts and also for perjury for allegedly lying about his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for the year 1998. Jueteng charge The charges of plunder against former president Joseph Estrada started with former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson’s allegations that the deposed leader received kickbacks on jueteng operations in the country. The first plunder charge “accepting bribes from illegal gambling operations” was based on Singson’s testimony that he and businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang went to Estrada’s residence on Polk Street in Greenhills, San Juan every 15 days to deliver jueteng money during a period in Estrada’s presidency. The former governor, also a drinking buddy of the former president, said he and Ang started collecting jueteng money August 1998. He said Estrada started receiving the money September 1998. Singson, claiming he then had a rift with Ang, said he became the sole collector in November 1998. He said Estrada received a total of P200 million jueteng money. Singson also testified that Yolanda Ricaforte, a bookkeeper, was appointed by Estrada as auditor of the jueteng money. He said Ricaforte prepared the “jueteng ledger” from August 1999 to August 2000. The jueteng money collected was deposited to a bank account under the name of Ricaforte, Singson said. Singson said the P200 million was handed by Ricaforte to Estrada’s lawyer, Edward Serapio, who allegedly delivered the money to a certain Beatriz Bagsit. Bagsit was allegedly in charge of the former president’s accounts at the Equitable-PCI Bank. The prosecution in the Estrada plunder case claimed the money was deposited 28 times to the account number registered to the former president’s Muslim Youth foundation. Singson also testified that Estrada’s son, Jinggoy, who was then San Juan mayor, also collected money from jueteng operations in Bulacan. Jinggoy denied collecting jueteng money in Bulacan and also denied receiving P1 million kickbacks from the collections. Serapio, for his part, said the P200 million was a donation that came from a donor, whom he refused to identify. Tobacco excise kickbacks Singson also accused the former president of pocketing P130 million in tobacco excise tax collection. Singson said he gave 10 percent of the tobacco excise tax collection to Estrada and personally delivered the money at the former president’s residence at Polk Street with Atong Ang. He said the former president’s actual share from the P130 million was P70 million. The remaining amount was given to former senator and the former president’s wife Loi Estrada (P20 million), Jinggoy (P15 million) and Ang (P25 million). Ang has agreed to return the P25 million to government as part of a plea bargaining agreement with the government prosecutors. He paid the amount by surrendering his mansion at the Corinthian Gardens. The former president, meanwhile, had denied before the Sandiganbayan the allegations. He said the charge was politically-motivated. Jinggoy had also denied receiving a part of the tobacco excise tax kickback. Belle stocks manipulation The prosecution also charged Estrada for allegedly pocketing P189.7 million worth of commissions or kickbacks from the purchase of shares of the Belle Corp. Carlos Arellano, former president of the Social Security System (SSS) , that the former president asked him and Federico Pascual, former president of Government Security and Insurance Service (GSIS), if it was possible to buy shares of the corporation. Arellano said SSS bought P783 million worth of Belle’s shares while GSIS bought P1.1 billion. Willie Ng Ocier, vice chairman of Belle, testified that he talked with Jaime Dichaves in 1999 where he was assured that the two insurance agencies will buy shares of the corporation. Ocier said he was also informed by Dichaves that Estrada wanted to get a P200 million commission from the purchase. The camp of the former president, meanwhile, claimed the purchase of Belle shares was valid and legal. Estrada’s lawyers also said the former president did not receive any commission from the purchase. They also noted the prosecution’s failure to present evidence that the former president pocketed money from the shares investment. ‘Jose Velarde’ account The former president was also charged by the prosecution for allegedly amassing over three billion pesos of illegally acquired money deposited to a bank account at the Equitable-PCI Bank under the name of Jose Velarde. Estrada has admitted to signing the bank documents as Jose Velarde. However, he the true owner of the account was his friend Dichaves. He said was asked to sign the account by Dichaves, who wanted to convince businessman William Gatchalian. He said Dichaves was asking Gatchalian to lend him money. The bank’s official Clarissa Ocampo and lawyer Manuel Curato testified that Estrada signed the Investment Management Agreement in Malacañang on Feb. 4, 2000, using the alias Jose Velarde to extend a loan to Gatchalian’s Wellex Inc. Despite Estrada’s admission, his lawyers claimed the prosecution failed to link the former president to the Velarde account. Perjury The former president was also charged with perjury for allegedly lying about his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for the year 1999. The prosecution said Estrada lied when he only declared in his SALN over P35 million, including P5.03 million of cash on hand and in bank deposits and business interests in three corporations. The former president said he never lied in his SALN, since he became a public official. “I do not personally do my SALN. I ask my staff to do it for me but I always tell them to comply with the law,” he said. However, the former president admitted not including nine corporations because all of them were already closed when he became a senator. He added that the money deposited in his name with the Security Bank and Keppel Bank were not included in the SALN because the account contained campaign contributions for his political party, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino. The former president said the campaign money was used in the 1998 and 2001 elections.  |
