Ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada, who faces corruption charges and is being held under house arrest, threw open his sprawling luxury home to celebrities and politicians yesterday to celebrate his 68th birthday -- much to the chagrin of prosecutors.
The anti-graft court has ordered the former president to remain within the grounds of his 21-hectare property east of Manila while his case is being heard, but allows him to occasionally receive visitors. Estrada is not held in a conventional jail because his legal team says the former action movie star suffers from an ailing knee and as a former president should be entitled to receive guests.
PROSECUTOR COMPLAINS
Chief prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio objected to Estrada's birthday bash, arguing he should be transferred to a conventional detention center.
"He should not even be there and holding a party on a 21-hectare property that is so huge and difficult to secure. We believe there is no legal basis to allow him to stay in a resort," Villa Ignacio told the judges of the anti-graft court on Monday.
But even behind bars, Estrada still wields significant influence in Philippine politics.
In January, he was allowed to travel to Hong Kong for knee replacement surgery, despite prosecutors' objections.
The decision prompted the lead judge in Estrada's corruption trial to resign.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Estrada's nemesis who succeeded him as president after his 2001 ouster and last year won her first six-year mandate, joined Estrada's well wishers.
BIRTHDAY WISHES
"My wish for him is good health and peace of mind and I can assure him justice and fair play," Arroyo said yesterday.
He should be given "the most humane treatment ... in deference to the many people who care for him," she said.
Her press secretary, Ignacio Bunye, sent a mobile phone text message to Estrada, saying: ``Mr. President, I hope that when I reach your age, I will still be as sexy,'' the Philippine Star daily reported yesterday.
And Estrada also had a birthday wish.
"I'm giving hope to a nation in despair. Let us not lose hope," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Estrada is accused of amassing about 4 billion pesos (US$71.6 million) in illegal gambling payoffs, tax kickbacks and commissions stashed in secret bank accounts.
He has denied any wrongdoing, and accuses Arroyo of keeping him in detention out of fear he could launch a revolt.
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