MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A senior bank official stunned the Philippine impeachment court and put the nation on edge Friday, testifying that President Joseph Estrada signed large bank transactions under a false name in violation of graft laws.
Clarissa Ocampo, a senior vice president of Equitable PCI Bank, said she watched Estrada sign the name "Jose Velarde" to documents authorizing a $10 million investment agreement using money in the bank.
Ocampo said she personally took the documents to the presidential palace for Estrada to sign on Feb. 4, 1999. She also named several other people who she said witnessed the signing.
"When he signed his name I just couldn't believe that he signed his name as Jose Velarde," she said.
Estrada is charged with bribery, graft, betrayal of public trust and violating the constitution. He is being tried in the Philippine Senate. A guilty verdict by two-thirds of the 22-member Senate on any of the four counts would force him from office.
Friday was the impeachment trial's 12th day, and one that dealt a huge blow to Estrada's defense. The prosecution has argued all along that Estrada hid proceeds from graft in a network of bank accounts, most in the Equitable PCI Bank, and Ocampo's testimony was its best corroboration yet.
Ocampo also testified that Estrada kept a hidden account in her bank, also under the name Jose Velarde. Under Philippine graft laws, public official must declare all income. Estrada's official declared assets in 1999 were $700,000.
Ocampo's testimony caught most here by surprise.
Prosecutors announced earlier Friday that they had a surprise witness, one that would corroborate allegations about Estrada's accounts. The defense argued they were unprepared for the witness, whose identity was kept secret until she entered the courtroom, but agreed to hear the testimony. The court is scheduled to take a 10-day recess starting Saturday.
"There can be no fairness if one side is caught by surprise," said Estelito Mendoza, a chief defense lawyer. "These proceedings can only mean anything to the nation and the country if they are fair."
Much of the debate of the 12-day-old trial has focused on the identity of the mysterious Jose Velarde. The name also appears on a $2.8 million check, from Equitable PCI Bank, that has been a focus of the trial recently. Prosecutors say Estrada signed it to buy a mansion for one of his acknowledged mistresses.
Estrada has denied he is the true owner of a once-rich account under that name. He refused to comment on the charges Friday when reporters questioned him after a Mass ceremony.
Filipinos crowded around television sets in bars, bus stations and homes minutes after word of the surprise witness spread. Ocampo was expected to continue testimony late into the night.
"We have a very fearful and anxious society out there," Sen. Robert Jaworski said before Ocampo was called. "We have a duty to get to the truth. Can we do that this afternoon?"
Also Friday, prosecutors said they have increased the pressure on Estrada to testify by asking him to outline his relationship to alleged underworld gambling figures.
In a list of questions forwarded to Estrada on Thursday, prosecutors said they asked the president whether he is a close friend of Yolanda Ricaforte, who set up a series of bank accounts in Manila. Prosecutors claim Ricaforte acted as an auditor and watchdog to ensure Estrada received his share of bribes from alleged gambling lords who controlled profits from an illegal numbers game called jueteng.
The list of questions also includes a request for details of Estrada's financial relationship with provincial Gov. Luis Singson, whose allegations prompted the impeachment effort. In October, Singson accused Estrada of taking more than $8 million in bribes from illegal gambling lords and skimming $2.6 million in tax revenues intended for tobacco farmers.