Erap ready for oral arguments

Former President Joseph Estrada has prepared for today’s oral arguments on his appeal for the Sandiganbayan to reconsider its guilty verdict on his plunder case, and his camp believes they have strong bases to reverse the conviction.

“We are ready,” Estrada said upon his arrival yesterday morning at the San Juan Medical Center to visit his ailing 102-year-old mother Mary Ejercito.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said Estrada’s lawyers will present a strong argument in today’s proceedings at the anti-graft court.

“We are ready to argue that there was no proof beyond reasonable doubt on the guilty conviction. We are confident that we have good arguments. We are ready to argue that there was no conspiracy, that there were no public funds involved and that there are no witnesses to corroborate the allegations,” he told reporters.

Rodriguez said the argument would focus on the denial of Estrada’s right to due process.

He said the defense lawyers – former justice minister Estelito Mendoza, former senator Rene Saguisag, and Jose Flaminiano – will argue that there was no corroborating witness to support the claim of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson that Estrada received money from jueteng operators.

“He was not able to confront the witness against him and no single jueteng lord came forward to corroborate the claims of Singson,” Rodriguez said.

Aside from presenting their argument contained in their motion for reconsideration, Rodriguez said Estrada would ask the Sandiganbayan, for humanitarian reasons, to allow him more frequent visits to the hospital, where his mother has been confined for two months now due to pneumonia and other complications.

Rodriguez said he is in favor of asking the Sandiganbayan to allow the former president to stay at the Estrada residence in Polk St. in Greenhills, San Juan so he could visit his mother as often as possible.

Estrada has been firm in his stand against the granting of absolute pardon, saying he is bent on exhausting all legal means to reverse the guilty ruling of the Sandiganbayan.

The anti-graft court’s special division has granted Estrada’s request to have a two-day furlough, which started yesterday, for him to be able to visit Mrs. Ejercito and to spend the night at their residence.

Former Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, one of Estrada’s closest political allies, said that the granting of the two-day pass is a good sign that the anti-graft court would grant his request of more frequent hospital visits, especially with the deteriorating condition of the former president’s mother.

He is expected to appear at the oral arguments at 9 a.m. and be back at his Tanay resthouse in Rizal at 5 p.m.