Estrada signs P30-million libel suit vs former beauty queen

Ousted President Joseph Estrada concurred yesterday with the P30-million libel suit he had filed against a former beauty queen, her mother and the publisher, editor-in-chief and a reporter of the newspaper Manila Standard Today.

Estrada affixed his signature on the 19-page complaint-affidavit before Rizal Provincial Prosecutor Danilo Lim at his Tanay, Rizal rest house where he is being detained on charges of plunder and perjury.

In a series of articles published in Standard Today, former beauty queen Joelle Marie Henson Pelaez linked Estrada to money laundering activities.

Named respondents in the libel suit were Pelaez, her mother Blanquita Pelaez, Manila Standard Today publisher Teodoro Locsin Jr., editor-in-chief Jojo Robles, and the newspaper’s reporter, Christine Herrera, who wrote the alleged libelous articles.

Also named respondent was Dennis Funa, lawyer of Joelle Pelaez.

Former immigration commissioner Rufus Rodriguez, one of Estrada’s lawyers, said the complaint-affidavit will be formally filed today with the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Rizal in Pasig.

In his complaint-affidavit, Estrada denied any involvement in any forgery, document falsification, money laundering and seduction.

He also rejected any link with the alleged loan transactions entered into by Joelle Pelaez and the United Coconut Planters Bank and with San Miguel Corp.

Estrada also denied having seduced Pelaez to become his mistress.

"I likewise have never seduced this Joelle Pelaez to become my mistress and neither have I invited her to any place or offered her any gift or anything to seduce her to become my mistress or for whatever purpose," he said.

"For maligning me and exposing me to public hatred, contempt, disgrace, ridicule, dishonor, discredit as well as inducing evil opinion of my person in the minds of righteous and right thinking citizenry in addition to depriving me of friendly and decent intercourse in the community and society by the maliciously defamatory utterances and statements of respondents that I am a forger, falsifier of documents, large-scale money launderer and seducer, all of the respondents should be held liable for the crime of libel as defined under Article 353 and punished under Article 355, both of the Revised Penal Code."

In the series of five articles in the Standard Today from May 15 to

May 19, 2006 written by Herrera, Pelaez was quoted as accusing Estrada of laundering P2.07 billion worth of securities, bonds and other debt instruments through the government sequestered UCPB by allegedly using her name and forging her signature shortly before Estrada’s impeachment trial in 2000.

Also in the series of articles, Pelaez claimed that Estrada had wanted her to become his mistress.

Pelaez, in the articles, also said that the Estrada gave her P2 million to buy a BMW car and was also gifted by him with a P50-million condominium suite at the Renaissance Tower in Ortigas, and a gold and diamond studded Rolex watch worth P1.7 million.

Pelaez had earlier filed charges of estafa before the Makati Prosecutor’s Office against Estrada and several officials of San Miguel Corp. and UCPB.

In her six-page complaint, Pelaez, an American citizen, said Estrada and SMC and UCPB executives "conspired and confederated in fraudulently and maliciously and feloniously divesting" her and her mother of properties worth P20 million. — Mike Frialde