Counsel for the eighty (80) complainants and private prosecutors Romeo T. Capulong, Marie Yuvienco and Jayson Lamchek in the plunder and forfeiture of ill-gotten wealth cases against former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada today issued the following statement in connection with the latter’s plan to go to the U.S. purportedly for eye treatment:
“There are now eight cases of economic plunder and forfeiture of ill-gotten wealth against former President Estrada in the Office of the Ombudsman. He and his lawyers know that the evidence of guilt in all these cases is strong. Ombudsman Desierto assured the complainants and private prosecutors as well as Justice Secretary Hernando Perez during our meetings last Monday (February 5) and Wednesday (February 7) that the first non-bailable offense of economic plunder filed in December last year involving hundreds of Millions of pesos where complainants’ evidence had been submitted in full, would be resolved in the next three weeks. Therefore, based on this assurance former President Estrada could be ordered arrested within the next three weeks by the Sandiganbayan and detained indefinitely without bail for the entire duration of the trial.
“It would be a grave and irreparable injustice to the Filipino people and a potentially dangerous and self-de-stabilizing act on the part of the Macapagal administration to allow Estrada to leave the country and thereby escape prosecution and punishment for heinous crimes on the pretext of undergoing an eye treatment in the US. Instead of allowing him to seek refuge in the US, the Macapagal administration should muster a strong political will to send Estrada to the National penitentiary in Muntinlupa where he and his acrobat lawyer can continue to fantasize on being the de jure President.
“We have had our costly lessons in the prosecution and recovery of ill-gotten wealth against the Marcoses and the Marcos cronies. This administration should avoid the mistake of the past administrations. The prosecution and punishment of Estrada and his cohorts and the recovery of their stolen money should be non-negotiable.”