Estrada trial set to begin

Estrada trial set to begin

MANILA: Lawyers for former Philippine President Joseph Estrada, whose trial for plunder begins on Monday, accused the government of treating their client like a "caged wild animal" and have threatened to boycott proceedings.

Defense lawyers on Sunday denounced prosecution threats to haul Estrada, the first former Philippine president to face criminal proceedings, to the court if he refused to attend.

Estrada, ousted in a "people power" revolt in January, is accused of economic plunder for allegedly amassing more than four billion pesos (about $78 million) during his 31 months in office.

The crime is punishable by life imprisonment or death under the plunder law Estrada himself voted for when he was still a senator in the mid-1990s. -- Reuters