| Ousted President Joseph Estrada, right, is escorted back to the courtroom after taking a break in his plunder trial at an anti-graft court Wednesday. Estrada, who took the witness stand for the first time in the trial, was ousted from power via a "people power" revolt that installed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.(AP photo) |
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MANILA (Updated 2:00 p.m.) -- Ousted President Joseph Estrada sharply denied Wednesday that he took huge kickbacks in office, defending himself against capital charges of plunder and defiantly telling an anti-graft court that he was framed.
With hundreds of his backers rallying outside, the testimony capped five years of court proceedings that he hopes will vindicate him after the actor-turned-politician was toppled in a 2001 "people power" revolt.
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