Chief justice gets death threat over Estrada trial<\/p>\n
MANILA (AFP): Philippine Supreme Court chief justice Hilario
\nDavide on Friday read out a death threat sent to him for
\npresiding over the corruption trial of President Joseph Estrada
\nfor allegedly taking bribes from illegal gambling bosses.<\/p>\n
The letter, written on stationery from the office of Vice
\nPresident Gloria Arroyo, assailed him for supposedly turning on
\nEstrada and warned him: "We the Filipino people find you guilty
\nfor the crime of betrayal of public trust.<\/p>\n
"Therefore you are hereby sentenced to suffer the penalty of
\ndeath, together with your family and relatives," Davide read from
\nthe letter during the hearing.<\/p>\n
He said he did not believe the letter came from Arroyo who now
\nheads an opposition coalition seeking to unseat Estrada over the
\ncorruption allegations.<\/p>\n
Arroyo's spokesman Renato Corona said she condemned the threat
\nand charged that the letter was part of a "black propaganda
\ncampaign" by pro-Estrada groups against the vice president.<\/p>\n
Davide told the court he would continue his duties "even if it
\nwould call for the sacrifice of my own life."<\/p>\n
This came as prosecutors said they would enter as evidence,
\nproof that first lady Luisa Ejercito and an Estrada friend,
\nWilliam Gatchalian, received huge checks from the president's
\nalleged bribe-collector, provincial Governor Luis Singson.<\/p>\n
The copies indicated Ejercito received an eight-million-peso
\n($157,000) check while Gatchalian received a 46-million-peso
\ncheck from Singson in 1999.<\/p>\n
Congressman Joker Arroyo, one of the prosecutors, remarked
\nthat Ejercito did not list the check in her statement of assets
\nand hinted that she could be called to testify, saying "the first
\nlady has to explain what the money is for."<\/p>\n
The Senate also threatened Friday to cite Jaime Dichaves,
\nanother businessman friend of Estrada, for contempt unless he
\nanswers accusations that he covered up bank accounts allegedly
\nused by the president to store millions of dollars in bribes.<\/p>\n
Dichaves was summoned to appear by Monday to explain why he
\nshould not be punished for claiming to be the true owner of an
\naccount which a senior banker has said was set up under a false
\nname by the president.<\/p>\n
"There appears to be a deliberate and malicious intent on the
\npart of Mr. Dichaves to mislead and make a mockery of the
\nproceedings of the impeachment court," Senate President Aquilino
\nPimentel said.<\/p>\n
In December, Dichaves sent a letter to the court saying he was
\nthe true owner of an Equitable PCI Bank account held under the
\nname of "Jose Velarde."<\/p>\n
Later that month, bank senior vice president Clarissa Ocampo
\ntestified she saw Estrada sign the name "Jose Velarde" to the 500
\nmillion peso ($9.6 million) trust account.<\/p>\n
Ocampo also said Dichaves later signed several other documents
\nthat would have transferred ownership of the account to him.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have been trying to link the account, and several
\nothers, to allegations that Estrada received huge bribes from
\nillegal gambling lords and skimmed off government funds.<\/p>\n
Estrada was impeached in the House of Representatives in
\nNovember. If convicted by the Senate, he would be removed from
\npower.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a parallel Senate hearing into allegations that
\ngovernment agents spied on officials conducting the trial was
\nindefinitely suspended Friday after a police officer, who would
\nsupposedly prove such spying, failed to appear.<\/p>\n
During the trial Friday, bank and government employees
\nconfirmed the authenticity of several documents related to the
\ncharges that Estrada skimmed off a fund intended to help the
\ntobacco industry.<\/p>\n
About 5,000 people staged a demonstration in the financial
\ndistrict of Makati on Friday to demand Estrada's ouster, carrying
\nbanners saying "guilty" and "resign."<\/p>\n
Among those taking part in the protest was Vice President
\nArroyo, former president Corazon Aquino as well as three
\nspectators who were thrown out of the trial gallery on Thursday
\nby pro-Estrada Senator Miriam Santiago for looking at her "in a
\nprovocative way."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chief-justice-gets-death-threat-over-estrada-trial-1447893297",
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