Equitable’s Ocampo to testify vs Estrada at Sandigan today

Déjà vu.

A dramatic episode in the failed impeachment trial of ousted President Joseph Estrada will be virtually re-enacted at today’s resumption of his trial for plunder before the Sandiganbayan.

Clarissa Ocampo, former senior vice president and trust officer of Equitable PCIBank, will take the witness stand anew to testify that Estrada and the mysterious "Jose Velarde" are one and the same person.

Ocampo stunned the nation in December 2000 when she emerged as a surprise witness during the impeachment trial. She told the Senate, which had transformed itself into a tribunal to hear and decide charges of widespread corruption in the highest seat of government, that she was seated "one foot away" from Estrada when he signed three copies of an investment management agreement as "Jose Velarde."

Ocampo, considered by the prosecution panel as a "star witness" in the ongoing trial before the anti-graft court, was expected to basically reiterate at today’s hearing her testimony at the impeachment hearing on Dec. 23, 2000.

Assistant Ombudsman Dennis Villa-Ignacio, chief of the prosecution panel, said they intend to pin down Estrada on accusations that he amassed an estimated P4 billion in bribes from illegal gambling operators and other forms of corruption during his 31-month stay at Malacañang.

Villa-Ignacio said Ocampo’s testimony would substantiate the charges that Jose Velarde was an alias used by the fallen president to stash ill-gotten wealth in the bank.

Defense lawyer Raymund Fortun, who was also one of Estrada’s battery of lawyers in the impeachment trial, maintained that Ocampo’s testimony would be demolished by the fact that it was controversial businessman Jaime Dichaves, not the former president, who owned the Velarde bank accounts.

Fortun cited as proof Dichaves’ letter dated Aug. 25, 1999, to Equitable senior vice president Romualdo Dy Tang.

In that letter, Dichaves stated that he owned the Velarde accounts, saying he was the one who opened it and transacted business with the bank pertaining that particular account.

"May I request that a savings account and a current account be opened with your Juan Luna branch for Jose Velarde, care of the undersigned. All other banking transactions of Jose Velarde shall be coursed through the undersigned," a portion of the letter stated.

Fortun added that Tang also executed an affidavit dated Jan. 12, 2001 attesting to the fact that Dichaves owned the Jose Velarde savings account number 00160-62501-5 and current account number 0110-25495-4.

The lawyer indicated that Dichaves’ two documents have rendered Ocampo’s testimony immaterial and irrelevant to the plunder case.

"Ocampo’s testimony would still prove nothing against President Estrada," Fortun asserted.

Apart from the capital offense of plunder which is unbailable and theoretically punishable by death under Philippine laws, Estrada is also facing charges of illegal use of alias and two counts of perjury for alleged misdeclaration of his statements of assets and liabilities for 1998 and 1999.

In her previous testimony, Ocampo said she could not believe when Estrada wrote Jose Velarde on the bank documents.

"When he signed his name, I just could not believe that he signed his name as Jose Velarde," she told the senators.

She said she was supposed to stamp her approval on the authenticity of Estrada’s signatures, but did not do so when he used an alias.

She also said at least three other people were present during the signing. She identified them as Manuel Curato, chief of the Equitable PCI legal department, lawyer Fernando Chua and Malacañang chief of staff Aprodicio Lacquian who was eventually fired by Estrada.

Ocampo said the investment management agreement involved a loan of P500 million out of the Velarde account to the Wellex Group owned by Estrada ally William Gatchalian.

She also said Equitable PCI chairman George Go earlier instructed her to approve the proposed investment plan "within 18 hours."— Jose Rodel Clapano