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CNN World Report

Estrada Fights for Reputation in Courts

Aired July 01, 2001 - 14:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: We will begin in the Philippines, where former President Joseph Estrada is fighting to save his name and reputation. He is due to appear in court in August for a pretrial hearing.

This week, the ousted leader became the first chief executive to be arraigned on criminal charges. The hearing was held in the same court that Estrada had designated as the chief symbol as his campaign against corruption. Estrada was ousted in January and arrested last April amid allegations he accepted millions of dollars in kickbacks.

Philippines GMA News Manila reports on another legal blow facing Estrada.

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TINA PANGANIBAN-PEREZ, GMA NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A landmark resolution and house arrest issued by the court of the Philippines has sparked debates among legislators. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) after deliberating for more than ten hours, recently jumped former President Joseph Estrada's petition to be placed under house arrest, while he is facing plunder and graft charges.

Justice Anacteto Badoy, chair person of the Anti-Graft Court's third division, said there is no constitutional or legal basis to grant Estrada's request.

JUSTICE ANACTETO BADOY, ANTI-GRAFT COURT: To get the court to authorize house arrest is to get the court to exercise a power it does not possess.

PANGANIBAN-PEREZ: Estrada's lawyers cited the cases of former heads of states in other countries, who were placed under house arrest like former Indonesian President Swart Owe (ph). They also argue that more and more Filipino officials, including Arroyo, favor house arrest for Estrada, but the law should be implemented equally, if the accused is a former president or an ordinary citizen, .

BADOY: Master or a slave, king or subject, prince or pauper, powerful or weak, rich or poor, no man is above the law.

PANGANIBAN-PEREZ: Although the other two justices in the third division agree with the decision, they differ in their reasons. Associate Teresita Castro says the court does not have the authority to make a class distinction among arrestees; while Justice Ricardo Ilarde believes the court has the inherent powers to grant house arrest, but in Estrada's case, it will be better to detain him in a military camp for security reasons.

Estrada will be brought back to his two bedroom detention cell in Fort Santa Domingo (ph), a camp south of metro Manila. The justice says the legislators could not agree on the issue. Some believe that a law should be passed to authorize house arrest. They say it would hasten the healing process that the country is undergoing after Estrada's humiliating ouster.

EDGARDO ANGARA, ESTRADA SUPPORTER: Appropriate -- an appropriate measure, for someone who is not been convicted yet, and who was once president of the country.

PANGANIBAN-PEREZ: The former prosecutor in Estrada's impeachment trial believes otherwise. The House Speaker, Feliciano Belmonte, says at present there are enough legal options that the accused can take, he or she could either post bail or be released.

FELICIANO BELMONTE, HOUSE SPEAKER & PROSECUTOR: There's no need to legislate, situations are so uncommon they are not likely to happen in a long, time.

PANGANIBAN-PEREZ: It took the court two months to decide on former President Joseph Estrada's petition for house arrest. If this incident sets the pace for the trial, the Filipino nation is in for a long wait, before the court can render its verdict on the alleged plunderer.

From GMA News Manila, this is Tina Panganiban-Perez for the CNN WORLD REPORT.

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