Trial of Joseph Estrada

Trial of Joseph Estrada People of the Philippines vs Joseph Estrada, et al
Estrada in 2000
Full name case	People of the Philippines vs. Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, Charlie "Atong" Tiu Hay Sy Ang, Edward S. Serapio, Yolanda T. Ricaforte, Alma Alfaro, John Doe also known as Eleuterio Ramos Tan or Mr. Uy, Jane Doe also known as Delia Rajas, John Does and Jane Does
Private complaints	Atty. Romeo T. Capulong Atty. Ramon A. Gonzales Dante L.A. Jimenez Atty. Leonard S. de Vera Atty. Antonio T. Carpio Atty. Dennis B. Funa
Criminal case number	26558
Laws applied	Republic Act (RA) No. 7080 or the Anti-Plunder Law
Filing of information	April 4, 2001
Decided	September 12, 2007
Court membership	Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro (Chairperson) Francisco H. Villacruz, Jr. Diosdado M. Peralta
Pardon	October 26, 2007

The trial of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada (People of the Philippines vs. Joseph Estrada, et al., 26558 Sandiganbayan, September 12, 2007) took place between 2001 and 2007 at the Sandiganbayan. Estrada, popularly called Erap, was ousted from office in 2001 during a popular uprising in Metro Manila after an aborted impeachment trial in which he was charged with plunder and perjury. Soon after his ouster, the same charges were filed against him at the Sandiganbayan.

After a lengthy trial, the Sandiganbayan ruled Estrada not guilty of perjury while ruling him as guilty of plunder and sentenced him to reclusión perpetua. All of his co-accused were acquitted.

A few months after the January 2001 popular uprising that ousted Estrada, the Philippine Ombudsman filed two charges at the Sandiganbayan on April 4, 2001; one for plunder and the other for perjury. The plunder case consisted of four separate charges: acceptance of 545 million pesos from proceeds of jueteng, an illegal gambling game; misappropriation of 130 million pesos in excise taxes from tobacco; receiving a 189.7-million-peso commission from the sale of the shares of Belle Corporation, a real-estate firm; and owning some 3.2 billion pesos in a bank account under the name Jose Velarde. The minor charge of perjury is for Estrada under-reporting his assets in his 1999 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth and for the illegal use of an alias, namely for the Jose Velarde bank account.

Estrada's son, Jinggoy Estrada, an incumbent senator, and Edward Serapio, his personal lawyer were his co-accused. Also charged were Charlie Ang, Yolanda Ricaforte, Alma Alfaro, Eleuterio Tan, Delia Rajas, and Jaime Dichaves, who was later added.

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