Estrada may also have account abroad, says Villa-Ignacio

Assistant Ombudsman Dennis Villa-Ignacio said yesterday that jailed former President Joseph Estrada may also be maintaining an account abroad.

This, as the prosecution in Estrada’s plunder and perjury cases presented their 56th witness, Michelle Legaspi, former manager of the Equitable-PCI Bank branch in Virra Mall, San Juan and now the manager of the bank’s Strata branch.

During cross-examination by Estrada’s lawyer Prospero Crescini, Legaspi said Baby Ortaliza, an errand woman of Sen. Luisa Ejercito, was the one who made deposits to the controversial Jose Velarde account being maintained in the Equitable-PCI Bank’s Juan Luna branch in Binondo, Manila, through an inter-branch transaction with the Virra Mall branch.

Legaspi said she was familiar with the "charming face" of Ortaliza because she saw her on three occasions, two of them outside Virra Mall in 1999.

She said Ortaliza deposited 25 checks totaling P797.3 million in the Jose Velarde account from Aug. 31, 1999 to Nov. 27, 1999.

At least eight checks ranging from P5 million to P10 million came from a certain Kelvin Garcia; one check for P20 million from Jaime Dichaves, a friend of the former president; and another check for P300 million which prosecutors believe came from BW Resources owner Dante Tan.

Legaspi said she was still the manager of the Equitable PCI Bank branch in Virra Mall, Greenhills, San Juan when the inter-branch deposits were made to the Jose Velarde account with account numbers 0160-62501 to 5 maintained in the bank’s Juan Luna branch in Binondo.

Another prosecution witness, Antonio Martinez Fortuno, operations officer of the Equitable-PCI Bank Pacific Star branch, earlier told the Sandiganbayan’s special division chaired by acting Presiding Justice Minita Chico-Nazario, that a total of P481,325,055.65 was deposited to the Jose Velarde account in their branch from Oct. 19, 1999 to Jan. 24, 2000.

"Legaspi was able to prove that in less than three months’ time, Ortaliza deposited more than P700 million to the Jose Velarde account. I’m sure that there (are) much bigger amounts in other banks. I’m sure that the former president may also be maintaining an account abroad," Villa-Ignacio said.

Villa-Ignacio said the more than P4 billion which prosecutors believe Estrada had amassed "could only be the tip of the iceberg."