Estrada aide faces plunder charge

Former president Joseph Estrada's secretary Lucena 'Baby' Ortaliza has asked former First Lady, Loi Ejercito, to help her get a lawyer, following reports that the prosecution will include her in the plunder charges against the ex-president.

"We cannot represent her because we might be accused of conflict of interest," said Estrada's lawyer Raymundo Fortun.

Fortun remained Estrada's spokesman although he and eight other defence lawyers had resigned, following Estrada's admission that he signed for Jose Velarde, a secret account, which the prosecution said was used to launder illegally ill-gotten wealth.

Meanwhile, Fortun has started to float stories to discredit Ortaliza, even as he tries to defend her.

"She and the president did not really see each other often. When he was president, he remained at the presidential palace and never went home in Ortigas (subdivision in suburban San Juan). Ortaliza worked and stayed at the house of the Estradas in San Juan," said Fortun.

Ortaliza also failed to give details of the money she has deposited at the bank accounts of Estrada, said Fortune, adding the latter did not know about the sources of the money that were deposited by Ortaliza.

"There were many political donors who gave money to the president," explained Fortun, when asked why the donations were not deposited in the bank account of Estrada's political party.

The prosecution has identified Ortaliza as Estrada's depositor for the Jose Velarde account. The prosecution wanted her to testify on behalf of Estrada, in exchange for immunity.

In her recent talks with reporters, Ortaliza admitted to having deposited checks to the Velarde account, but added that they was owned by Estrada's friend Jaime Dichaves.

However, Estrada had admitted, too, that he had signed for Velarde as a guarantor, because Dichaves wanted to be assured that Estrada's friend William Gatchalian would repay a P 5 million ($100,000) loan.

"What she said has destroyed the government's position that the Velarde account is owned by Estrada," assessed Fortun, in response to the prosecution which said Ortaliza had corroborated the existence of the Velarde account.

At the same time, Fortun asked Ombudsman Aniano Desierto to spare Ortaliza because she was the sole breadwinner of her six children.

Adds Our Manila Bureau Chief: Meanwhile, Fortun and other pro-Estrada politicians criticised President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for having held a party for the prosecution witnesses.

"There was executive intervention in a judicial process. In other countries, at the very least this would have caused the suspension of the trial until the Chief Executive bows out of office to prevent speculation of intervention," said Fortun, hinting that his camp will file for a mistrial.