Focus shifts on Estrada's aide<\/p>\n
MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Joseph Estrada's alleged
\ncustodian for illegal gambling bribes deposited shopping bags
\nfilled with millions of pesos at several banks, according to bank
\nofficials who testified on Thursday at the leader's corruption
\ntrial.<\/p>\n
They said the woman, identified as Yolanda Ricaforte, opened
\nmore than two dozen accounts in five branches of Equitable PCI
\nBank over the past 13 months.<\/p>\n
The depositor variously described herself as a supplier of
\nbuilding materials, a real estate agent, travel agent, and
\nexporter of fishery products, the witnesses said.<\/p>\n
Ricaforte looked like a \"very simple woman\" who would walk
\ninto a suburban Manila bank carrying a \"plastic bag\" filled with
\n\"old, big bills, in the thousands and hundreds,\" branch manager
\nRosario Bautista told a Senate tribunal which is hearing
\ncorruption and other charges against Estrada.<\/p>\n
Another manager, Edgardo Alcaraz, said Ricaforte walked into a
\nsuburban Manila branch in March with \"four million pesos
\n($80,000) in cash\" and sought out the branch manager to open
\nseveral accounts.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege Ricaforte's deposits were proceeds from a
\nnational protection racket for illegal lotteries called jueteng.<\/p>\n
They say the racket was organized by the president and the
\nproceeds were collected by his estranged friend, provincial
\nGovernor Luis Singson, the principal prosecution witness in the
\ncorruption trial.<\/p>\n
Estrada has been impeached by the House of Representatives on
\ncorruption and other charges and if convicted by the Senate, will
\nhave to give up power.<\/p>\n
The five managers who took the stand on Thursday said some of
\nthe checks Ricaforte deposited were drawn from the accounts of
\ntwo Estrada friends, William Gatchalian and Singson.<\/p>\n
\"Because of the substantial amounts involved she was
\nconsidered as one of my top depositors. As an individual she was
\nthe largest depositor,\" Bautista said.<\/p>\n
The five bank officials said the depositor later withdrew most
\nof the funds over a three-day period in April, purchasing five
\nmanager's checks totaling 109 million pesos ($2.18 million).<\/p>\n
Singson testified last week that Ricaforte laundered about 200
\nmillion pesos in jueteng collections, and transferred them into
\nthe bank account of a presidential charity in April.<\/p>",
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