Philippine President Joseph Estrada claimed through a spokesman Tuesday that he does not have a secret bank account to hide illegally acquired wealth, as alleged by prosecutors at his corruption trial.
A senior officer at Equitable PCI Bank testified last week that Estrada operated a 10-million-dollar trust account using a false name.
Surprise prosecution witness Clarissa Ocampo, a senior vice-president at the bank, said she was only a foot away when Estrada used the alias Jose Velarde to sign bank documents at the presidential palace early this year.
But Estrada spokesman Ernesto Maceda said Tuesday that the trust account under the name Jose Velarde did not belong to the president.
"The president does not own the accounts. There is absolutely no government money, no jueteng (an illegal lottery) money, and no dirty money involved."
"Nor is this a case of unexplained wealth," said Maceda, whom Estrada had named as his spokesman on matters pertaining to his trial. "The accounts are definitely not ill gotten."
Maceda also stressed that Estrada "is not resigning" over the scandal "not now, not ever" until he ends his six year term in 2004.
"He is confident he will be acquitted by the Senate," tribunal whose members are sitting as judges in the unprecedented trial, Maceda said.
Maceda dismissed Ocampo's testimony on Friday as "good only for making headlines."
"It is legally worthless. It is of no value to the impeachment process," he said.
Prosecutors have accused Estrada of graft and claimed he used the secret account to hide illegally acquired wealth, including millions in bribes from illegal gambling lords and kickbacks from government excise taxes.
Estrada was impeached by the House of Representatives last month on charges of bribery, corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the constitution. If found guilty on any of the charges in the Senate, he will be removed from office.
The president has kept a low profile in the past three days following the potentially damaging testimony by Ocampo and his aides have been forced to quell rumors he was planning to resign -- MANILA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
