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JOSEPH ESTRADA CONVICTED FOR
PLUNDER |
Estrada, ex-President of
Philippines, gets 40-year jail for
plunder
14 September, 2007
Joseph Estrada, former president of
the Philippines, has been convicted a
of illegally acquiring wealth while in
office and sentenced to a maximum of
40 years in prison, six years after he
was ousted amid mass protests and
military defections.
An anti-corruption court in Manila
found on September 12, 2007, that
Estrada, 70, was guilty of plunder,
but acquitted him on a perjury charge.
The court also ordered Estrada to hand
over $15.6 million and a mansion he
built for a mistress.
The plunder case stemmed from
accusations that he received over $85
million in kickbacks from tobacco
taxes, commissions from the purchase
of
shares by a government insurance fund
and payoffs from illegal gambling
operators, and that he used a
fictitious name in a bank account. The
perjury case arose from charges that
he misstated his income.
Joseph Estrada has been in detention
for over six years now. He was ousted
in an uprising prompted by the
charges, as well as accusations of
womanizing and heavy drinking in the
presidential palace. Those allegations
deeply offended the Catholic Church,
which led, along with the so-called
civil society groups and leftist
organizations, huge demonstrations
against him.
According to media reports, Estrada, a
notorious playboy, lived the high life
during the trial, holding parties at
his ‘rest house,’ a luxurious vacation
home two hours from Manila and
equipped with a theatre, a gymnasium,
and library.
The court said Estrada could continue
to live in his vacation home “until
further notice” and requested that he
agree “voluntarily in writing to abide
by the
same disciplinary rules imposed upon
convicted prisoners.”
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, current
President of the Philippines, who was
Estrada’s vice-president, took over
the presidency after his ouster in
2001. Estrada is a former movie star
and is hugely popular among the
country’s poor.
Estrada has repeatedly denied the
accusations, saying that they were
politically motivated. He accused the
business elite, the Catholic Church,
and the
civil society groups for conspiring
against him.
The government had deployed 6,000
policemen around the court, and put
the military on alert in case of
unrest. But, Estrada’s supporters who
gathered at a church said they would
remain peaceful.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has
the powers to pardon Estrada, but
Estrada insists that he will not
accept amnesty because he is innocent.
He
believes that Arroyo was part of a
conspiracy to overthrow him.
Members of Estrada’s family, including
his wife and daughter, wept as the
verdict was read, but the deposed
President sat grim-faced.
Estrada’s lawyer said he would appeal
against the verdict.
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