‘MJ’ to testify vs Estrada

Businessman Mark Jimenez, a crony of ousted President Joseph Estrada, has agreed to testify on corruption charges against the deposed president.

A well-informed source told The STAR yesterday that Jimenez met on Friday with officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and agreed to expose what he knows about Estrada’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.

"We have him," the source told The STAR. "(The DOJ is) getting what he knows. He will tell all."

Jimenez, Estrada’s former adviser on Latin American affairs, is reputed to be among the former president’s closest cronies and had allegedly helped Estrada in illegal deals involving several big corporations and a state-run pension fund.

While the source did not reveal details, Jimenez is expected to corroborate the testimony of former Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu who claimed that Estrada profited from the stock scandal involving controversial gaming firm Best World Resources Corp.

Jimenez is also expected to divulge details of controversial transactions involving the Social Security System, then headed by Estrada childhood friend Carlos Arellano, and several large corporations.

The Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Co. (PLDT), Philippine Commercial International Bank (PCIBank) and Equitable Banking Corp. are allegedly among the large corporations.

The source told The STAR that Jimenez agreed to talk after the DOJ threatened to charge him with economic plunder or extradite him to the United States where he is wanted by the federal government.

The US government had long requested for the extradition of Jimenez, who is charged with making illegal contributions to the campaign of former President Bill Clinton.

But the Estrada administration had repeatedly dodged the extradition requests.

The source said Jimenez did not bargain for anything but the source surmised Jimenez may have thought that if he testifies against Estrada, he would not have to go to the US immediately.

"Perhaps he thinks that if he is needed here as a witness, the government will not give him up until he testifies," the source told The STAR.

The disclosure of the source confirmed the earlier claim of Justice Secretary Hernando Perez that a new witness had surfaced to give key testimony against Estrada.

The DOJ chief told radio station dzBB on Friday that the new witness would give major testimony in a new case.

Perez claimed that the new witness would reveal the paper trail that would bolster the charges against Estrada who was ousted by a four-day civilian uprising that ended on Jan. 20.

"He will show us the paper trail that we need against Estrada," Perez said in the radio interview, adding that the DOJ is now sifting through Jimenez’s statement to "separate possible evidence from pure hearsay... We are trying to put order to what he knows.""He is really very close to Estrada. In my view, he knows more than Chavit Singson," Perez said, referring to Estrada gambling buddy and Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson.

Singson had revealed in October that Estrada had received protection money from gambling bosses all over the country and skimmed off the tobacco excise tax funds of Ilocos Sur.

Singson’s allegations led to the filing of an impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives which subsequently impeached Estrada on Nov. 13 on charges of bribery, graft, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

But the Senate impeachment trial that began on Dec. 7 was stalled when the House prosecutors refused to participate in the trial after Estrada allies in the Senate voted to exclude vital evidence against the ousted leader.

The Senate vote to exclude the evidence last Jan. 16 also led to public outrage that resulted in massive protest rallies in key cities nationwide.