Trial of former Philippine president postponed once again

The hearing on former Philippine President Joseph Estrada's case was postponed once more until next month after his lawyers reportedly threatened to withdraw from trial if they were forced to present evidence for the jailed leader's defense.

They are having a hard time in contacting witnesses and have "no resources at all" to reach them (witnesses), Jose Flaminiano, one of Estrada's counsels, said during the hearing Monday at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court's Special Division.

Flaminiano likewise cited difficulty appearing in Estrada's twice-a-week court dates because of the cases he has to handle as a private lawyer.

Another Estrada counsel, Manuel Pamaran, said he cannot continue with the trial unless the Supreme Court resolves the pending motions for the former president's perjury and illegal useof alias cases.

He then asked the court to postpone the hearing until Sept. 6, and the Special Division was left with no choice but to grant the request of the defense panel.

The prosecution team hit Estrada's lawyers for what they calledwere "delaying tactics" by the defense. Special Prosecutor Dennis Villaignacio said he wants the court to cite the defense in contempt.

The defense team should not be allowed to "hostage" court proceeding with their tactics, Villaignacio said The defense reportedly has delayed presentation of evidence formore than a year now after the prosecution panel finished presenting its case in March last year.

Last month, the Sandiganbayan ruled that Estrada cannot be prosecuted for using the alias "Jose Velarde" to open a bank account and granted him a house arrest transfer from the military camp in the northern Philippine province of Rizal to Estrada's villa just across the Army facility.

However, Estrada still has another two charges, perjury and plunder, which is a non-bailable offense carrying maximal sentenceof the death penalty.

Estrada was ousted in January 2001 by a military-backed popularrevolt over allegations of massive corruption, when the then-vice president Glria Macapagal-Arroyo succeeded Estrada.

Source: Xinhua