Freeze on Estrada's assets ordered

The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court has ordered the freezing of the identified assets of former president Joseph Estrada as well as that of his two allies, who helped him get millions of pesos from gambling lords who operated the illegal small numbers game, including money diverted from taxes for tobacco farmers, from 1998 to 2000.

"The order is being implemented by the Sandiganbayan court sheriff," said Sandiganbayan spokesman, Renato Bocar.

"The order was made in preparation for a judgement that might be issued against the former president." If the court finds out that Estrada was guilty, the frozen assets will be auctioned off, Bocar said.

He explained that the ruling will be lifted if the Sandiganbayan finds out that Estrada is not guilty of the $27 million plunder charges filed against him.

The amount subjected to freezing involved $4.2 million (P 211 million). Estrada admitted earlier that the amount came from several gambling lords.

He added that he placed the money as a fund for his non-government organisation, the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation, which he created for young Muslims in southern Philippines.

Government investigators traced the money which was deposited in several branches of the Equitable PCIBank, under the name of Estrada's former auditor, Yolanda Ricaforte, who, in turn, gave the amount to a lawyer who managed Estrada's non-government organisation.

Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis Singson collected the protection money from illegal gambling lords, on behalf of Estrada.

However, he eventually came out in public about Estrada's corrupt practices, which paved the way for an impeachment trial at the senate at the end of 2000.

Government prosecutors said Estrada and his ally, Charlie "Atong" Ang, also coerced Singson to divert money for the farmers in Ilocos, in a secret bank account under the name of Jose Velarde, which was used to purchase mansions for himself, his family members and four mistresses.

The court's decision was in response to the petition of the prosecutors who warned that supporters of Estrada could withdraw from the identified bank account.

The court's order included bank accounts of Ricaforte and Ang who are both hiding in the U.S. Estrada's former lawyer and current spokesman, Raymund Fortun, said the ruling was not a setback.

"The freeze order is useless. The Jose Velarde accounts have been closed a long time ago. When we prove to the court that president Estrada has no links with the jueteng operations, the freeze order will be automatically lifted," he added.

Ricaforte and Ang have been hiding in the United States even before Estrada's ouster and arrest in March, 2001. They were included in the plunder case against the former president.

Estrada denied having other secret bank accounts.