Yasay 'received death threats'

Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chief Perfecto Yasay said at the impeachment court yesterday that he had received eight death threats since he was involved in the investigation of insider trading that was allegedly committed by Dante Tan, a presidential crony.

He took his family abroad before he testified at the impeachment trial. "If something happens to me now, you should know who could be responsible for it," said Yasay, who was cross-examined by the defence counsels and more than half of the 22 senators.

President Joseph Estrada asked Yasay to run for the congressional elections in May this year, said the former SEC chief, hinting that it was another form of pressure for him not to testify.

Dante Tan of Best World Resources Corporation (BWRC), who was accused of insider trading in October 1999, employed the services of public relations officer Bubby Dacer, said Yasay. Dacer, however, went missing after he refused to handle Tan's case.

Dacer's disappearance three months ago, has been connected with the ongoing impeachment trial. When Tan was accused of insider-trading, Estrada allegedly called for his protection, said SEC compliance officer Ruben Almadro.

Yasay also said Estrada called him up five times in November 1999, asking him to protect Tan.
Almadro resigned from his job to dramatise his protest over Estrada's call for Tan's exoneration on March 7. Yasay also resigned on March 25.

Almadro and Yasay said they had been receiving death threats, but they have not yet left for abroad for their protection. They are not under the government's witness protection programme.

Meanwhile, Dacer's family has continued looking for the missing public relations officer. Tan admitted he employed the services of Dacer, but claimed he had nothing to do with his fate.

The prosecution threatened to walk out if the impeachment court threw out the testimony of a bank manager who said President Estrada had a secret account under the name of Jose Velarde at the Equitable PCI Bank.

In a related development, private prosecutor Sonny Marcelo said the senator-judges should not strike out the testimony of Senior Vice President Clarissa Ocampo, as well as the bank records backing up her testimony.

He hinted there would be a mass walk-out at the impeachment court, and a "massive reaction" from various sectors which are against Estrada. "I find the prosecution's walk-out threat distasteful and completely unfair," said Senator Francisco Tatad.

The senator-judges "will not be bullied by the prosecutors threat to walk out if the impeachment court rejects the conditional testimony of Ocampo," said Tatad. "If the prosecution walks out at this stage, they will lose by default," said presidential impeachment spokesman Ernesto Maceda.

"If they have accepted that the president is acquitted, maybe they have accepted that their evidence is weak," said Maceda. The Senate will vote on the acceptance of the testimony of Ocampo, and that of lawyer Manuel Curatu who corroborated her statement that she saw Estrada sign for Jose Velarde in a trust management agreement involving $10 million (P500 million), with Equitable PCI Bank last February 4, 2000. The testimony of Ocampo is crucial to prove Estrada's alleged ill-gotten wealth, said the prosecution.