Mark Jimenez to testify against Erap on 'Jose Velarde' account

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See profile of Mark Jimenez in our special reports section: gmanews.tv/specialreports...sec=4

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Controversial businessman and former lawmaker Mark “MJ" Jimenez, once a close ally of former President Joseph Estrada, is set to testify against the ousted leader, supposedly to pin him down for the multi-billion-peso “Jose Velarde" account. Jimenez (whose real name is Mario Crespo) appeared on Wednesday at the Sandigandayan courthouse in Quezon City, in the company of similarly controversial Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit" Singson. State prosecutors said Jimenez will stand as a rebuttal witness. “Pag nagsalita si MJ (Jimenez’ nickname), iyon ang gigiba sa lahat ng kasinungalingan ni dating Pangulong Estrada. Siya ang nakakaalam lahat noong Jose Velarde account. Iyong bilyun-bilyong napunta kay dating Pangulong Estrada, siya nakakaalam sa lahat. Magsasabi siya ng totoo, hindi naman sinungaling si MJ eh," Singson said. (When Jimenez testifies, he will demolish all the lies of former President Estrada. He knows everything about the Jose Velarde account. All those billions that President Estrada got, he knows everything about it. He will tell the truth, Jimenez is not a liar.) Jimenez said he felt "betrayed" by Estrada and that he hoped the former President would "see the truth" – in prison. Jimenez said he attended the hearing to "personally see the man who betrayed me and my family". “Ang gusto kong mangyari sa kanya ay yung nangyari sa akin. Sana naman sa kulungan ay makita niya ang katotohanan," he added. (I want to happen to Estrada what happened to me. I hope that he sees the truth in prison.) Prosecutors have alleged that the controversial "Jose Velarde" account contains kickbacks worth P3.2 billion from jueteng, an illegal numbers game. Estrada has admitted in court that he signed the account as Jose Velarde but denied he owned the funds or that it came from jueteng, claiming it belonged to associate Jaime Dichavez, who intended to use it for a legitimate business deal. WHY NOW? Estrada, who is facing plunder and perjury charges, decried Jimenez’ sudden appearance, arguing that the prosecution was supposed to have finished presenting their witnesses. Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio countered that Jimenez would testify to rebut Estrada’s claims during his direct examination, and that they had already informed associate justices of the Sandiganbayan Special Division. “How come after five years, they only thought of these people only now? Why were they not included as witnesses (against me). After five years all of a sudden they would appear. To me this means wala talaga silang ebidensiyang makuha (they just can't find evidence). They are just fishing for evidence," he said. Estrada said he was ready for anything that the prosecution might spring on him during cross-examination. “Bakit naman ako kakabahan? (Why should I get nervous?) All I will say is the truth. I want this case to be finished so that the people will know the truth. I have nothing to hide. It is the other way around. The truth will set me free but to other people, the truth will send them to jail," he said. Estrada also told GMA’s DZBB radio that he wondered how Jimenez could suddenly show up as a witness when he was embroiled with former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, who served under the Arroyo administration, in a $2-million bribery scam over the IMPSA power deal. "Nagtataka ako bakit wala pang kaso na-file kay Perez. All the documents are there, sent by the Swiss government, and now with (the Department of Justice) and (the Department of Foreign Affairs). Hanggang ngayon di pa na-charge, bakit kaya?" he said. (I wonder why no charges have been filed against Perez. All the documents are there, sent by the Swiss government to the DOJ and DFA. You have to wonder why nobody has yet been charged.) SURPRISE WITNESS Jimenez turned out to the surprise witness the prosecution was reportedly planning to use against Estrada. The controversial businessman sat himself at the center of the front row beside Singson, also Estrada’s former ally who became one of his bitterest enemies. Singson was a "star witness" against Estrada during his 2000 impeachment trial, who claimed that that he was designated by the former President as a bagman for jueteng kickbacks. Jimenez chose understated attire for his courthouse visit, wearing black pants and a short-sleeved camisa chino. He was a businessman known to have been close to Estrada when he was President. Once described by Estrada as a "corporate genius", Jimenez was credited for having brokered First Pacific’s acquisition of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) for $750 million and Equitable Bank’s takeover of then the larger PCIBank with the help of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS). A few months after Estrada was ousted from power in the January 2001 “EDSA 2" people power uprising, Jimenez won a congressional seat in the May 2001 elections as Representative of the 6th district of Manila. He was stripped of his seat in 2002 after the House Electoral Tribunal found that he was actually a resident of Makati City, not of Sta. Mesa, Manila as he had claimed. Jimenez was extradited to the United States in 2002 after he was indicted by American authorities for making illegal campaign contributions to Democratic Party candidates, including former US President Bill Clinton. He spent 22 months in a federal prison and returned to the Philippines upon his release last December.-GMANews.TV