The Senate voted 11-10 last Jan. 16 to suppress the contents of the envelope in Estrada’s impeachment trial, which sparked massive nationwide protests that ultimately led to Estrada’s ouster four days later.
"We will open the envelope to end all speculations about its contents," said Se-nate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
Pimentel said the envelope was kept in the Senate’s vault since the last day of the impeachment trial, and its opening will be witnessed by Ombudsman Aniano Desierto and Equitable-PCI Bank vice president Ceferino Ong.
Desierto is now investigating Estrada for six criminal charges of economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of the anti-graft law, perjury, bribery and possession of unexplained wealth.
On the other hand, Ong represents the bank under which the Velarde accounts were opened.
Pimentel said the envelope and its contents would subsequently be turned over to Desierto who is expected to file charges soon against Estrada before the Sandiganbayan.
The bank submitted two envelopes under an impeachment tribunal subpoena. The first envelope was found to contain documents pertaining to a savings account under the name of Jose Velarde.
The bank also voluntarily submitted trust account documents and allowed its senior vice president Clarissa Ocampo to testify that Estrada himself signed documents pertaining to the trust account under the name Jose Velarde.
Estrada had denied that he signed the Velarde documents in front to Ocampo and bank lawyer Manuel Curato.
Hours after Estrada’s Senate allies voted to suppress the second envelope, civilians started gathering at the Our Lady of EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City to protest what they perceived to be a cover-up.
After Estrada’s ouster, however, Estrada’s Senate allies pushed for the opening of the second envelope while anti-Estrada senators said the belated opening would be irrelevant and immaterial.
According to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., however, Estrada now admits signing the Velarde documents in front of Ocampo.
But the ousted leader said he only did it for the benefit of unnamed friends who allegedly wanted to ensure that businessman William Gatchalian would pay back the P500 million he was borrowing from the trust account.
Belmonte was then head of the 11-man House of Representatives prosecution panel that they formed after Estrada was impeached on Nov. 13.
Belmonte, however, said Estrada’s strategy of admitting to allegations that he had previously denied and concocting a story to justify it was only a ploy for his forthcoming criminal trial.