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Monday, March 08, 2004
Gov't not involved: Bunye on Erap visits
MANILA -- Malacaņang reiterated Sunday that President Arroyo was merely upholding the decision of the Sandiganbayan when she allowed former President Joseph Estrada to leave jail to visit his rest house in Tanay, Rizal.
Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye also rejected accusations that there was government involvement in the decision of the special anti-graft court to allow Estrada, who is facing charges for plunder, to visit his villa east of Manila.
"This is all under the control of the Sandiganbayan. Whatever was implemented by the jailers of our former president was within the decision, within the order of the Sandiganbayan," Bunye said.
Bunye's clarification came following a threat made by private prosecutors to file criminal charges against Arroyo and several other government officers for allowing Estrada to leave prison.
Prosecutors insist the court would not have condoned Estrada's excursions without some form of instruction from President Arroyo's government.
Bunye reiterated, however, that there was no politics involved in the concession granted Estrada.
Civilian lawyers and private prosecutors, led by the Public Interest Law Center, say Arroyo, PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane and others are "liable for the crimes of conniving with or consenting with evasion of imprisonment."
Bunye also denied that the transfer was illegal, as presidential candidate Raul Roco claimed, adding there are Sandiganbayan-issued guidelines governing transfers.
Government admitted last week that Estrada, still the de facto leader of the opposition, was allowed out of police detention in suburban Rizal province twice a week to visit the villa, complete with a swimming pool and a private chapel.
The government did not say when the visits had started.
It said the privilege was only being extended out of courtesy to a former president. But critics allege the decision was intended to curry favor with Estrada's followers ahead of the May 10 presidential election.
Estrada, a former movie action star, has personally picked his friend, Fernando Poe, to head the opposition campaign. Poe has emerged as the strongest threat to Arroyo, who is seeking a second term in the elections.
Estrada is on trial for accusations that he plundered some P4 billion during his two-year rule that was cut short by a popular uprising in 2001. The crime is a capital offense that is without bail.
Bunye, meanwhile, also urged Estrada to formally inform the court whether he was proceeding with his plan to seek medical treatment in the US or at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center or any other local hospital.
He said the permission accorded Estrada for medical treatment in the US was in response to a petition filed earlier by lawyers of the former president. JMR/With AFP
(March 8, 2004 issue)
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