(13 Dec 2000) Eng/Taga/Nat
The key witness in Philippines President Joseph Estrada's impeachment trial has presented a 100-thousand U-S dollar cheque he claims will prove that Estrada accepted pay-offs from illegal gambling lords.
Prosecutors spent much of Governor Luis Singson's initial testimony in the Senate trial retracing his earlier claims of having been asked by Estrada to oversee national collection of protection money from a popular numbers game called "jueteng."
Singson said he collected (m) millions of dollars of bribes over a 22-month period starting in November 1998 and turned over a portion every month in either cash or checks to Estrada.
Provincial Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, the star witness of the prosecution panel in the impeachment hearings being conducted against Philippines President Joseph Estrada, began his testimony on Wednesday.
Singson, a former drinking and gambling friend of the president's, promised to unveil more evidence which he says will convict Estrada.
UPSOUND: (English/Tagalog)
(Q Do you think your testimony will pin down the president?) Of course. I am confident that President Estrada will be removed from office."
SUPER CAPTION: Governor Luis Singson
One of the congressmen who authorised the impeachment case against Estrada at the lower house is as confident as Singson.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Whatever he will say today will strongly confirm what he has said in the Blue Ribbon,
and hammer the nails necessary in order to have a conviction."
SUPER CAPTION: Philippines Congressman, Heherson Alvarez
Estrada is being tried in the Senate on counts of bribery, graft, betrayal of public trust and violating the constitution.
The bribery charge is the centrepiece of the prosecution's case and hinges on accusations by Singson that he channeled more than 400 (m) million pesos (8 million US dollars) in pay-offs from an illegal numbers game called "jueteng" to Estrada.
Singson has also accused Estrada of skimming 130 (m) million pesos (2.6 million US dollars) from excise taxes intended to benefit tobacco farmers.
Before he took the witness stand, Singson made an appeal to his former friend.
SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog)
"I hope that he takes pity on the Filipino people and resigns already so that we will
not suffer anymore. He will lose anyway."
SUPER CAPTION: Governor Luis Singson
Singson's testimony has been much-awaited.
The provincial governor said he collected (m) millions of dollars of bribes over a 22-month period, starting in November 1998, and turned over a portion every month in either cash or cheques to Estrada.
He said two presidential sons also received pay-offs.
Singson said the transactions were detailed in a 13-page ledger which he submitted to the Senate, whose 22 members will decide Estrada's guilt or innocence.
A two-thirds vote is needed to convict the president.
The prosecution took time to scrutinize the ledger kept by Singson, which he said showed entries of "jueteng" protection money that went to President Estrada.
Singson even showed cheques to the court, which he insists prove his allegations.
UPSOUND: (Tagalog)
(Q The next entry is 71.000, and across this entry, it says "total to date". This is marked as exhibit double J-15. What does this mean?) That means that that is the total money that went to President Estrada, 71 million, this is the total that went to Estrada. This is all President Estrada's money."
SUPER CAPTION: Governor Luis Singson
well-known movie.
Meanwhile, Estrada continues to maintain his innocence.
SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog/English)
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