Erap Trial

[Devastator]

After 6 long years natapos na rin yung trial. Next is the verdict.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/46752/Er...t-by-September


Erap plunder trial ends, verdict out by September
06/15/2007 | 05:38 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us The trial proper of former President Joseph Estrada’s plunder and perjury case ended Friday afternoon as the prosecution and defense panels finished giving their closing arguments before the Sandiganbayan.

The seven-hour trial adjourned shortly after prosecution lawyers declined to rebut the closing arguments presented by defense lawyers.

In a television interview, Estrada expressed confidence he would be exonerated, saying prosecutors lodged “trumped-up charges."

A verdict is expected in 90 days or by September.

Plaintiff's Memorandum for Crim. Case No. 26558 (Plunder), People of the Philippines vs. Joseph Ejercito Estrada, et.al.

• TOC PLAINTIFF’S MEMORANDUM
• PLAINTIFF’S MEMORANDUM
• NOTES ON PLUNDER CLOSING STATMENTS
Estrada's lawyers gave their rebuttal starting Friday noon of plunder and perjury charges lodged against the ousted leader in closing arguments before the Sandiganbayan.

After a brief recess, lawyer Estelito Mendoza started the rebuttal for Estrada's camp, which was been given three hours to present its case.

Radio station dzBB reported that Mendoza asserted that the prosecution failed to prove Estrada's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The lawyer again denied that Estrada received payoffs from the jueteng illegal numbers game.

He said the ousted leader did not benefit from the alleged diversion of tobacco excise taxes and that it is not true that Estrada is "Jose Velarde", whom witness Clarissa Ocampo had said he signed in a bank account.

The Sandiganbayan went on a lunch break after Mendoza's presentation.

Lawyers Rene Saguisag and Jose Flaminiano are due to give a further rebuttal of the charges against Estrada.

Earlier in the day, prosecution lawyers accused former Estrada of lying on his net worth and the number of companies he owns.

State prosecutor Julio Olaguer said the ousted leader made false declarations in his statements of asset, liabilities and net worth (SALNs). He said the prosecution had proven Estrada owned nine companies and not three as the accused had claimed.

Olaguer started his summation of the perjury charge against Estrada by saying "lying is a sin" and closed it with the oft-used saying "honesty is the best policy."

The prosecution in the plunder case of former President Joseph Estrada started their summation on Friday, 9:20 a.m. refuting the defense panel's argument that politics was behind the ousted leader's indictment.

Earlier in the hearing, Chief Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio said Estrada's lawyers wasted pages on "moot and academic" matters by alleging politics was behind the former President's indictment.

Villa-Ignacio reiterated allegations of Estrada receiving payoffs from jueteng, diversion of tobacco excise tax as alleged by former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit" Singson, irregularities in the purchase of stocks in Belle Corp. owned by Estrada associate Dante Tan by state pension firms GSIS and SSS, and the existence of the Jose Velarde bank accounts.

Estrada arrived Friday 8 a.m. at the Sandiganbayan building along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City for the closing arguments of his case.

Popularly known as "Erap", Estrada was elected President in 1998 but was impeached in late 2000 over payoffs he allegedly recieved from the jueteng illegal numbers game. His six-year term was cut short in January 2001 when he was ousted in the "EDSA 2" bloodless uprising.

Estrada was arrested in April 2001 and has since been detained while facing plunder and perjury charges. -GMANews.TV

[oldblue]

sana mapakawalan na sya, at maging Presidente ulit ng Pilipinas







joks lang hehehe

[jeffrocks]

sana mapakawalan na sya, at maging Presidente ulit ng Pilipinas







joks lang hehehe

oo nga,at lahat ng senador ay GO kasama sina loi at jv,ang galing siguro 'no?

[OTEP]

sana mapakawalan na sya, at maging Presidente ulit ng Pilipinas







joks lang hehehe

Sounds funny, but with the trend of local politics, this scenario is not impossible

[Hero]

90 days of "negotiation" begins... calm before the storm..

[alwayz_yummy]

panu kung innocent? forfeited na yun 3 years na dapat para sa kanya parin?

[carz_zoom]

jueteng money ang pinagmulan nang issue.

hanggang ngayon naman ay may jueteng pa rin.

kanino kaya ngayon ibinibigay ang jueteng money?

anak ng jueteng na buhay ito oh.

[Devastator]

panu kung innocent? forfeited na yun 3 years na dapat para sa kanya parin?

Hindi ba lumipas na yung dapat na magiging last 3 years niya kung sakali? Anyways, IMHO whatever the verdict may be GMA should brace herself for what would happen next. An uprising (God forbid) might just be looming on the horizon.

[LexTer]

sana mapakawalan na sya, at maging Presidente ulit ng Pilipinas







joks lang hehehe

di malayong mangyari to. pagtumakbo uli yan baka manalo. malakas pa din sya talaga.

[Monseratto]

It is not true that Estrada is "Jose Velarde", whom witness Clarissa Ocampo had said he signed in a bank account.

Villa-Ignacio reiterated allegations of ... irregularities in the purchase of stocks in Belle Corp. owned by Estrada associate Dante Tan by state pension firms GSIS and SSS, and the existence of the Jose Velarde bank accounts.

Pati yung pag benta ng PCI bank sa Equitable Bank may cut siya kasama si then Executive Secretary Ronnie Zamora. Because of this and cronyism ("Walang Kaibigan, Walang Kamag-Anak")natuloy din yung pag bagsak ng Equitable-PCI bank hangang binili tuloy ng Banco de Oro.

[oldblue]

the problem with the leadership of Erap is he promotes divisiveness among us. kakampi ng mahirap, kalaban ng mayayaman.

be on the lookout for these types of politician na gusto tayo pag-awayin. yan ang mag-lelead us to the likes of "Blood Diamond" the movie.

[Devastator]

the problem with the leadership of Erap is he promotes divisiveness among us. kakampi ng mahirap, kalaban ng mayayaman.

be on the lookout for these types of politician na gusto tayo pag-awayin. yan ang mag-lelead us to the likes of "Blood Diamond" the movie.

Syempre nandyan yung culture ng Pinoy of siding with the underdogs, kumbaga the "inaapi". A conviction or even an acquittal would just further reinforce that and (God forbid) re-ignite EDSA Tres. Man, I really felt sorry for the media people that day as they were getting beaten up by Erap supporters.

[Charlie_Brown]

Erap guilty of plunder, sentenced to life imprisonment

09/12/2007 | 09:32 AM

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(Updated 9:49 a.m.) The Sandiganbayan meted out a guilty verdict against former President Joseph Estrada on plunder charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment or reclusion perpetua. The ousted leader was allowed continued stay in his Tanay resthouse "until further notice."

Magistrates "sentenc[ed] the accused, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of plunder defined in and penalized by Republic Act 7080 as amended."

As for his perjury charges, the former president was found not guilty. The antigraft court also agreed to consider Estrada's six years in detention as time served for the offense.

For their part, his son Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada and the ousted leader's lawyer Edward Serapio were acquitted of plunder charges.

Estrada was accused of violating Republic Act No. 7080 for allegedly receiving P545-million protection money from jueteng operators; diverting P130-million tobacco excise tax share of Ilocos Sur; receiving P189.7-million kickback from Belle Corp. for GSIS, SSS purchase of P1.8-billion worth of shares of stocks and maintaining P3.23-billion "Jose Velarde" account with Equitable-PCIBank Binondo, Manila branch

He was also charged with perjury or violation of Article 183, Revised Penal Code for alleged false declaration of his 1999 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

The verdict only covered accused Estrada, Jinggoy and Serapio as other co-accused were still at large have not been arraigned yet. The other accused were Yolanda Ricaforte, Jaime Dichaves, Alma Alfaro, Eleuterio Tan and Delia Rajas.

According to court procedures, a trial cannot proceed unless an accused has been arraigned.

The cases of the other accused will be archived until the court acquires jurisdiction over them through arrest or surrender.

Meanwhile, another accused, Charlie "Atong" Ang was sentenced March this year to up to six years in prison on charges of corruption of a public official after entering a plea bargaining agreement

He admitted delivering part of P130 million tobacco excise tax funds to Estrada's Greenhills residence and pocketing P25 million, which he would return to the government by offering his family's mansion at Corinthian Gardens in Quezon City in lieu of cash.

The plunder trial started on October 1, 2001, a little more than five months after Estrada was arrested in April 25 that same year.

At least 71 prosecution witnesses were presented throughout the Estrada plunder trial which include Juetenggate whistleblower and Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, who testified between July and September 2002; star witness Clarissa Ocampo, who testified in November 2002 and bank officials.

The government lawyers rested their case in April 2003.

Estrada’s lawyers started presenting their witnesses a year later. Among their 76 witnesses called by the graft court from September 2004 to June 2006 were bank officials, politicians, newspaper reporters, former justices, a prominent clergyman, and senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Estrada himself took the witness stand 11 times from March to June 2006.

Both the prosecution and the defense panels presented their closing arguments on June 15, 2007.

Estrada has been detained for more than six years, while the plunder trial is ongoing. He has been allowed to visit his ailing 102-year-old mother, Doña Mary Ejercito, on some occasions.

JUSTICE PREVAILED!!!