Sandigan asked to allow Erap defense to finish direct examination

Defense lawyers for former president Joseph Estrada asked the Sandiganbayan yesterday to allow them to finish their questioning of the ousted leader on Wednesday next week instead of today.

Estrada lawyer Jose Flaminiano earlier told the court that defense lawyers would conclude their direct examination today with questions related to the political angle of his removal from power in 2001 and subsequent corruption trial.

But in an urgent manifestation to the Sandiganbayan’s special division yesterday, former senator and Estrada lawyer Rene Saguisag requested another week in order to review additional questions for Estrada, who faces plunder charges.

"It is our fervent hope that the direct examination of the principal accused won’t be concluded tomorrow by giving us another week to review where we are for possible additional questions on June 7, 2006 on all the counts against him," Saguisag said in his one-page urgent manifestation.

Last week, Estrada testified that he signed bank documents as "Jose Velarde" but denied charges that he laundered millions of pesos in a secret bank account under that fictitious name.

Estrada maintained that his friend Jose Dichaves owned the account at Equitable PCIBank.

"I have no connection or participation whatsoever in the opening of the Jose Velarde account," he told the anti-graft court during questioning by Flaminiano.

Estrada, who was forced out of office by a military-backed massive street protests in 2001, dismissed charges that he amassed up to P4 billion from illegal gambling payoffs, tax kickbacks and commissions as nothing but lies.

"I deny all those charges. I never enriched myself with commissions, kickbacks or any pecuniary benefits.... I do not own the Jose Velarde account and I did not and never would connive with any person or persons for any illegal purpose or purposes," he told the anti-graft court, referring to the fictitious name under which the account was opened.

Prosecutors say the account contained P3.2 billion at one point.

Estrada admitted signing the account documents as "Jose Velarde," but said it was part of an "internal arrangement" between him, Dichaves and the bank.

He said another friend and election supporter, William Gatchalian, needed to borrow a large amount of money from the bank for his floundering Wellex group of companies, and the former president agreed to sign using the alias to act as a guarantor. He did not explain the arrangement further.

Estrada said he was motivated chiefly by concerns about Gatchalian’s 3,000 employees who would have lost their jobs without the loan.

"Since no government money was involved, I did not think twice about signing it," Estrada said.

He cited the earlier testimonies of two bank officers, Romuald Dy Tang and Beatrice Bagsit, to back his claim that he didn’t own the account.

Estrada told reporters after the hearing that Dichaves, whose whereabouts have been unknown since Estrada’s ouster in 2001, had been threatened to prevent him from testifying.

"They have scared him away, that’s why he has fled. Here, if you do not cooperate with them they will threaten you or they will abduct you," he said, referring to the government of his successor, President Arroyo.

Estrada’s camp has accused the administration of silencing its political enemies following the arrest of five Estrada loyalists last week by the military.

In testimony during the aborted Senate impeachment trial of Estrada in 2000, Equitable PCI’s senior vice president, Clarissa Ocampo, testified that Estrada, and not Dichaves, owned the account.

Ocampo said at the impeachment trial — and later Estrada’s corruption trial at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court — that she and another senior bank officer, Manuel Curato, brought the documents to Malacañang on Feb. 4, 2000, and Estrada signed them. Curato corroborated Ocampo’s testimony.

Estrada admitted signing the documents but claimed that Ocampo was not aware of the account arrangement between himself, Equitable PCI and Dichaves.

Ocampo said former bank chairman George Go, a friend of Estrada’s, ordered her to replace documents linking the account to Estrada with new ones showing Dichaves as the owner.

Special state prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio said the defense never submitted an original copy of a letter from Dichaves showing that he owned the account.