Estrada guilty of plunder; perjury rap dropped

MANILA, Philippines -- Former president Joseph Estrada has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of plunder by the Sandiganbayan and has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

At the same time, the anti-graft court ordered the freezing of Estrada’s accounts estimated at $87 million.

The funds, including protection money from illegal gambling operators, embezzled tobacco taxes, and commissions from insider trading, will be "forfeited," the anti-graft court ruled.

But Estrada son, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, and lawyer Eduardo Serapio, were acquitted by the anti-graft court in its ruling issued Wednesday that capped a six-year trial for the former leader who was ousted in a popular revolt in 2001.

The perjury case against Estrada however was dismissed.

The court said it would allow Estrada to stay at his resthouse in Tanay, Rizal “until further orders.”

The former leader said he did not want any special treatment.

"Our client is prepared to be taken to the National Penitentiary now," his lawyer Rene Saguisag said.

Estrada is considered the first Philippine president to have been criminally convicted.

Estrada's lawyers said they would read the decisions first to determine their options.

The former president was composed when Teresa Pabulayan, Sandiganbayan Special Division Clerk of Court, read the dispositive portion of Criminal Case 26558 for plunder but winced when he heard the word "guilty."

The 70-year-old former action star-turned politician had repeatedly insisted that the charges against him were politically motivated.

The case against Estrada has marked a bitter chapter in Philippine politics that began when he was ousted from power in 2001, a move which led to violent protests in the streets.

Estrada repeatedly denied the corruption allegations, accusing the business elite, his successor President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the powerful Roman Catholic Church of conspiring against him because of his populist platform.

He said that he had twice rejected offers from Arroyo to clear his name in exchange for his voluntary departure from the Philippines.

"I told them that I will never leave the country and I am prepared to face the charges against me," he said.

"Because of this, I was not only arrested and jailed, I was also humiliated and charged with a non-bailable offense of plunder," he said.

During the trial he has been held at his luxurious compound, and the court ruled he would be remain under house arrest until further orders.

The military had put troops on high alert to ensure calm for the announcement of the verdict, with extra forces placed on standby in military bases around Manila to aid police if necessary.

Schools near the court were ordered closed, and President Arroyo was advised by her security staff to remain in the palace.

The case against Estrada has been a tricky one for Arroyo, who succeeded Estrada in 2001.

The guilty verdict against Estrada, who remains popular among much of the nation's poor, risks setting off demonstrations in the streets. An acquittal would have suggested she had come to power six years ago without a mandate.

In 2001, thousands of Estrada supporters tried to lay siege to the presidential palace to reinstate him.

Arroyo declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quash what she later said was an uprising aimed at toppling the government. Four people died in that incident, while over 100 were arrested.

In a taped message smuggled to a radio station on the eve of the verdict, Estrada said he believed the public had already decided he was innocent.

"I have been in detention for six years, four months and 17 days," he said. "But because of your prayers, help and love I have survived this heavy burden."

"I am prepared because I have already been acquitted by the people," he said. "My personal freedom is no longer important."