State prosecutors said Tuesday they were dropping five out of eight criminal charges filed against ex-president Joseph Estrada in the hope of winning a swift verdict against him for plunder, a crime punishable by death.
The tactical ploy caught the ousted Philippine leader by surprise, and one of his lawyers threatened to file a counter suit against the government.
About 1,000 Estrada supporters gathered in the late evening outside a suburban Manila enclave where the former movie star lives, vowing to stop his possible arrest for plunder -- large-scale corruption.
Estrada was arrested on Monday when he posted bail bonds for seven charges, including one of the five graft cases that were subsequently dropped. He was freed on bail and faces a May 17 arraignment.
Ombudsman Aniano Desierto said the move would allow prosecutors to pour their efforts into the plunder case, for which bail is not allowed.
Estrada, who was toppled in a military-backed popular revolt three months ago, is accused of abusing his position to illegally amass more than four billion pesos (80 million dollars).
Desierto said paring the charges would head off any delaying tactics by the former president.
"We will concentrate on plunder which is the crux of the whole case," Desierto told reporters after filing the surprise motion in court.
There were "more than adequate factual and legal bases" for the charges and the prosecution could win a conviction, he insisted.
Estrada lawyer Raymond Fortun accused Desierto of legal trickery.
"We are planning to sue him for the humiliation our client received at their hands. We will seek moral damages," Fortun said on television without elaborating.
Desierto asserted that the move was only temporary and the five charges could still be reinstated at a later date.
Estrada still faces charges of plunder, illegal use of an alias and perjury through misdeclaration of his assets.
The deposed leader had also "gutted" a state-run pension fund, Finance Secretary Alberto Romulo said, amid allegations that Estrada earned 189 million pesos in kickbacks after pension funds were used to buy stocks in a property firm.
Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said the plunder charge sheet would be amended further after it was found to refer to Estrada as the "president." Philippine presidents are immune from prosecution.
Police chief Leandro Mendoza said the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court had sought police help in effecting Estrada's arrest once the justices issue a warrant.
Police would provide security to court sheriffs, as well as deploy crowd control units, he said.
Estrada has come to terms with losing the presidency, but has vowed to take all legal remedies to be vindicated in court, opposition party spokesman Crispin Remulla said.
"The president has lost the political fight, but not the legal fight," Remulla said.
"He has lost to the power of the military, the rich and the influential Catholic church," but still enjoyed the support of the poor, he said.
The expected arrest should have a "minimal effect" on the Philippine economy, President Gloria Arroyo told reporters amid fears of unrest by Estrada supporters.
"The effect on the economy would be worse if we were not to pursue justice," she said – MANILA (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
