Erap wants to attend final plunder hearing
After six years, the trial of the plunder and perjury cases filed against former President Joseph Estrada is expected to come to an end this month.
The last day of the hearing at the Sandiganbayan will be held on June 15 and Estrada might attend it – but only with the approval of the Sandiganbayan.
The plunder charges against Estrada were initiated when then Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson made graft and corruption allegations against Estrada on
This led to Estrada’s ouster and the filing of plunder and corruption charges against him before the Sandiganbayan in 2001.
Estrada stands accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth estimated at P4.1 billion through commissions from government projects, receiving jueteng payola and taking money from the tobacco excise taxes in Ilocos
Singson alleged that Estrada received hundreds of millions of pesos in jueteng protection money and pocketed P130 million from the tobacco excise tax share of Ilocos
Estrada, who is detained at his resthouse in Tanay, Rizal, has denied Singson’s claims.
In Friday’s hearing before the Sandiganbayan Special Division, Estrada’s lawyer, J. Alberto Flaminiano, aired the former President’s desire to attend the June 15 hearing.
Estrada’s attendance will be a first after about a year’s absence from the anti-graft court. Neither the Sandiganbayan nor the prosecution objected to Estrada’s request.
The final hearing will include an oral summation, where government prosecutors and defense lawyers will give their closing arguments before Sandiganbayan Special Division Presiding Justice Teresita Leonardo de Castro and Associate Justices Francisco Villaruz Jr. and Diosdado Peralta.
The court set the oral summation by both panels, which are also expected to submit their respective memoranda this month.
This will be the time that both the prosecution and the defense panels will discuss the entire case, from beginning to end, in summary and would air their “prayers” – the prosecution seeking Estrada’s conviction and defense seeking his acquittal. – Sandy Araneta
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