Estrada may change his mind about anti-graft court

Former president Joseph Estrada's spokesman yesterday said the deposed leader might change his mind about refusing to recognise his ongoing trial by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, but only if the tribunal shows some sign of good faith in handling hearings for plunder and other corruption-related charges.

Estrada's spokesman and former defence lawyer, Raymund Fortun, said the deposed president is willing to participate in his trial again without objections, "if the court shows it is not biased."

"He wants to return to the trial process. But he is still looking for a sign from the graft court that it will treat him fairly," Fortun said in an interview on radio station dzMM.

But so far, he said, the graft court has been acting against him, refusing to bar prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio if the defence does not obtain a restraining order. The defence wants Villa-Ignacio out because of his alleged conflict of interest.

The young prosecutor is a member of one of lawyers groups that filed charges of plunder, or enrichment in office, last year against the former president who was ousted by a massive uprising in early 2001.

Fortun also cited the graft court's continued accommodation of a non-government organisation pursuing an indirect contempt complaint against him and Senator Loi Ejercito.

"The court should have rejected that complaint a long time ago," Fortun said as he referred to a contempt of court complaint filed by anti-Estrada group Plunder Watch against the former president, Loi, Fortun and another lawyer, Rene Saguisag, for publicly saying their loss of confidence to the Sandiganbayan and the Supreme Court for the two tribunal's alleged partiality.

Also, Fortun questioned the court for requiring Estrada to show up at the Sandiganbayan every time there is a hearing as a defence for the prosecution.

He said a person has the constitutional right under the country's laws against "self-incrimination."

In March, Estrada dismissed his defence panel, saying he is not getting a fair deal from the graft court. He then openly questioned the court's brand of justice. But he later agreed to stop openly criticising the court, in exchange for its allowing him not to show up for his almost-daily trial hearings.

Fortun said Estrada still believes that the Sandiganbayan has already scripted out a decision for him in his plunder case, "regardless of who his lawyers are."

He said Estrada's personal opinion remains unchanged, that the graft court is bent on convicting him and sentencing him to death. "According to him, the graft court wants to sentence him to death, regardless of who or how many his lawyers are," he said.