Ousted president Joseph Estrada turned himself in and posted bond yesterday after a special anti-graft court issued an arrest warrant for him on two charges linked to alleged corruption in office. It was believed to be the first time a warrant has been issued for a Philippine leader.
Also yesterday, a separate case was filed against Estrada for a questionable land deal.
Estrada avoided being jailed by posting bond, but he was fingerprinted and he submitted photos for mug shots. The warrant and new charges add to his considerable legal woes: He already faced six other charges, including plunder, a capital offense for which no bail is allowed.
PHOTO: AP
"Nobody is above the law," said Narciso Nario, one of the justices in the Sandiganbayan, the special graft court. "We have to bring to court anybody who violates the law, whether he is the most powerful man in the country or the lowliest laborer in the country."
The charges that were the basis of the warrant were perjury and graft. The graft charge involves allegations that Estrada skimmed US$2.6 million in tobacco taxes. The perjury count alleges that he misstated his assets and liabilities in 1999, in which he declared a net worth of only US$700,000.
They carry a total bail of US$800, but an Estrada lawyer said about US$3,000 was being posted to cover the rest of the bailable offenses.
As several earlier corruption cases progressed in courts, the specter of the country seeing a former president jailed for the first time for corruption appeared to be intensifying. But Estrada's lawyers said they were confident they could keep him out of prison and clear his name.
Estrada spent 2.5 years in office. His downfall began when accusations of corruption led to a six-week Senate impeachment trial this winter.
The trial was aborted in January when senators voted against opening a sealed envelope that prosecutors alleged would tie Estrada to a multimillion-dollar bank account. The Senate vote was followed by mass protests demanding that Estrada resign, and he left the palace through the back door on Jan. 20. The Supreme Court ruled he effectively resigned then.
On April 4, Estrada was indicted on accusations he pocketed US$82 million in kickbacks and payoffs during his 31 months in office. His indictment came after the Supreme Court unanimously rejected his appeals of a ruling that stripped away his presidential immunity.
Yesterday Estrada, who has professed his innocence and accused rivals of fabricating the charges, was greeted by about 30 impoverished supporters outside his posh Manila home, then the same number at the court, where he, his wife and three of his children walked past riot police.
"We'll go to jail with him. We will give our lives to him, including that of my grandson," said Milagros Galiano, a 56-year-old vendor holding an eight-year-old child. "He's a good person, unlike other bad presidents."
The poor formed the backbone of Estrada's support, and there are concerns that arresting him could spark protests. The crowd at the court had swelled to 500 before dispersing after Estrada left.
Meanwhile, a lawyer filed a new case of plunder yesterday against Estrada and his associates, claiming they were involved in the sale of "outrageously overpriced" land to the government.
Lawyer Ernesto Francisco said the sale of nine pieces of land for US$24 million defrauded the government of more than US$16 million in 1999.
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