Erap Guilty of Plunder!

Alas! Erap was convicted guilty. In my opinion, it serves him right!

Here is an article taken from the New York Times:
By Carlos H. Conde

MANILA, Wednesday, Sept. 12 — A Philippine anticorruption court on Wednesday convicted a former Philippine president, Joseph Estrada, of illegally acquiring wealth while in office and sentenced him to a maximum of 40 years imprisonment .
The court found Mr. Estrada guilty of plunder, but acquitted him on a perjury charge.
The court also ordered the confiscation of several properties, including mansions, that he acquired while in power. The plunder case stemmed from accusations that he received more than $85 million in kickbacks from tobacco taxes, commissions from the purchase of shares by a government insurance fund and payoffs from illegal gambling operators, and that he used a fictitious name in a bank account. The perjury case stemmed from charges that he misstated his income.
Mr. Estrada, 70, has been in detention for more than six years. He was ousted in an uprising prompted by the charges, as well as accusations of womanizing and heavy drinking in the presidential palace. Those allegations deeply offended the Catholic Church, which led, along with so-called civil society groups and leftist organizations, huge demonstrations against him.
The current president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was Mr. Estrada’s vice president, took over the presidency after his ouster in 2001.
Mr. Estrada, a former movie star who is hugely popular among the Filipino poor, has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying they were politically motivated. He accused the business elite, the Catholic Church and the civil society groups for conspiring against him.