Erap arraigned today on 2nd perjury case

Former President Joseph Estrada will be arraigned today on the second case of perjury at the Sandiganbayan special division, where the lawyers of the jailed leader are not expected to enter any plea.

The13 court-appointed counsels de oficio from the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said they agreed not to enter a plea because of the former president’s refusal to participate in the proceedings and recognize them as his lawyers.

"We have agreed in a meeting last Tuesday that no plea will be entered. We, the lawyers, have no authority to enter a plea for him," lead defense counsel Prospero Crescini said.

Estrada is on trial for graft, two counts of perjury, illegal use of an alias and economic plunder.

He is accused of amassing more than P4 billion during 31 months in office which ended with his ouster in a military-backed civilian uprising in January 2001. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The second case of perjury stemmed from Estrada’s alleged misdeclaration of his 1998 Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SAL). Prosecutors alleged that Estrada lied when he declared assets of only P37.38 million when he has more than P57 million in cash in three banks alone.

They also claimed Estrada failed to declare his holdings in other corporations.