Prosecutors say Estrada's wife cashed check from his accuser

0 Comments | Asian Political News, Jan 8, 2001

MANILA, Jan. 5 Kyodo

Prosecutors in Philippine President Joseph Estrada's impeachment trial presented before the impeachment court Friday an 8 million peso ($160,000) check issued by the whistle-blower in the bribery and corruption case against the president that ended up in first lady Luisa Ejercito Estrada's bank account.

Bank documents showed the Metrobank check, issued Sept. 29, 1999 by Gov. Luis Singson of the northern Ilocos Sur Province, was deposited in Mrs. Estrada's Citibank account.

Rep. Joker Arroyo, one of the prosecutors, said the amount was not included in the first family's statement of assets and liabilities and proves false an earlier statement by Mrs. Estrada that she has received no money from Singson.

The check is being used to bolster the graft and corruption charge against Estrada, who has also been charged with bribery, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the constitution.

It also signals a prosecution move to call Mrs. Estrada to the witness stand.

Arroyo refused to divulge whether the money was part of some 400 million pesos in bribes that Singson, the prosecution's star witness, said he turned over to Estrada from the operators of the illegal numbers game ''jueteng.''

''It's the first lady who will have to explain that,'' Arroyo said.

But another prosecution lawyer said the money was apparently a 10% kickback to Estrada from a road project in Singson's Ilocos Sur.

Court discussions on the check were postponed until Monday at the request of the defense panel, which asked to be given time to study the documents.

Earlier during the hearing, prosecutors tried to outline a paper trail for an alleged 130 million peso kickback Estrada is said have received from Singson from Ilocos Sur's tobacco excise taxes.

They presented witnesses, including bank officials, who testified on the flow of the money from the Land Bank in the Ilocos Sur capital Vigan to the Land Bank branch in Mandaluyong in metropolitan Manila.

The money was drawn from Land Bank Mandaluyong by three people prosecution witnesses identified as employees of presidential friend Charlie Ang.

Estrada was impeached by the House of Representatives on Nov. 13.

The impeachment followed a string of scandals, including charges by Singson, Estrada's former gambling and drinking buddy, that Estrada pocketed up to $11 million in ''jueteng'' bribes and kickbacks from tobacco excise taxes.