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Prosecutors cry tampering as alleged Estrada account opened
Philippine President Joseph Estrada`s alleged secret bank account records were opened for inspection on Wednesday at his historic corruption trial, but prosecutors charged that they may have been doctored.
Philippine President Joseph Estrada's alleged secret bank account records were opened for inspection on Wednesday at his historic corruption trial, but prosecutors charged that they may have been doctored.
Prosecutors had wanted to introduce the secret account as evidence in the Senate tribunal conducting the trial to back claims that Estrada hid unexplained wealth and was guilty of corruption.
Senators sitting as judges in the case said that the account was under the name of one Jose Velarde.
The trial's presiding officer Hilario Davide, the Supreme Court chief justice, allowed records of the account to be inspected after Estrada's lawyers made a shock announcement that they would no longer object to them being examined.
Prosecutors claim that Jose Velarde is non-existent and was used as an alias by Estrada. Prosecutors have alleged that Velarde and Estrada were one and the same.
They allege that funds from the account had financed the purchase last year of an 88 million Peso mansion for a mistress of Estrada, who earns just $ 13,000 a year.
Prosecutor Romeo Capulong later complained that the bank statements contained erasures, particularly in an entry where 142 million Pesos appears to have been debited against this account and subsequently credited on the same day.
Bureau Report