Pleadings reached the highest tribunal by the defense to have Erap's testimony, obviously as star defense witness, covered by TV and radio, but was denied.
The case being the most celebrated, involving the highest personality of the land in his time, Erap's stint on the witness stand came out, nonetheless, in detailed exposures in all the press. Erap claimed that the plunder and perjury raps against him are all "manufactured". He denied stealing P5B while in office, or receiving regular "jueteng payola" and pocketing P130M of the P200M tobacco excise tax for Ilocos Sur farmers, as alleged by former ally Chavit Singson.
Capping the defense theory as its 79th and last witness, Erap maintained his innocence and, was allegedly ousted by the conspiracy "led by the powerful Catholic Church, high-ranking military officers, and the wealthy elite I was convicted in the streets".
He made capital that he had not even been enticed by a $14M offer, or about P700M kickback, from a broker in exchange for a grant of sovereign guarantee to an Argentina power firm, Industrias Metalurgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anonima (IMPSA). This was Erap's counter to Singson's accusing him of pocketing the P130M tobacco excise tax.
Obviously denigrating prosecution star witnesses Clarissa Ocampo and a PCI bank lawyer who testified in the aborted impeachment, as being present in Malacañang when Estrada signed the "Jose Velarde" account, Erap said via TV during the break: "This is all political, you know I will be exonerated and acquitted on these fabricated charges".
Following Erap's direct testimony, which incidentally was attended by his nemesis in Gov. Chavit Singson, the latter issued statements on TV and press interviews rebutting Erap's claim of innocence.
Chavit particularly pointed out that with regard to the $14M cited by Erap on the IMPSA deal, Erap actually went to Argentina to negotiate the $14M kickback in exchange for approval of a power plant contract. Singson admitted being unaware of Erap receiving the kickback, but stressed that IMPSA received a grant of sovereign guarantee.
"If he really wasn't interested on (sic) IMPSA, why did he go to Mendoza, Argentina for talks with IMPSA chief executive Fritz Carmona? He wasn't able to sign the papers because he was ousted before the paperwork could be completed", so Chavit insinuated. And, he concluded: "It was headed that way. It didn't reach that point because he was toppled, but he had already signed it".
Aside from Chavit Singson, another former crony as PNP chief during Erap's presidency, now Senator Panfilo Lacson, has an interesting reaction to Erap's claim of innocence. In a TV interview, Lacson hinted being enlisted to testify for Erap's defense, but had to beg off, lest his testimony boomerang on Erap. He confirmed that Singson had been giving "jueteng payola" to Erap's Muslim Youth Foundation.
With Erap calling Chavit a liar, his silence on Lacson's derogatory statement appears pregnant with meaning. Perhaps, their word war may still go on during and after Erap's cross-examination.
What is quite amusing is that with Erap and Singson calling each other a liar, the proverbial anecdote of the kettle and the pot belittling each other black comes to the fore that both aren't lily white.