PHILIPPINES:Joseph Estrada, the 70-year-old former president of the Philippines, was sentenced to life imprisonment after an anti-graft court found him guilty of plunder, or large-scale corruption, in a trial lasting more than six years.
The verdict was welcomed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who replaced Mr Estrada when he was ousted by an army-backed civilian revolt in 2001. Her spokesman said she hoped the end of the trial would allow the country to focus on the economy and achieve peace.
However, political analysts said Mr Estrada's conviction was unlikely to diminish the political threats facing Mrs Macapagal, who has survived two impeachment complaints and several coup attempts while in power.
"This is not going to bring closure to the political challenges facing the president," said Benito Lim, a political science professor. Fresh allegations of corruption against her administration and a revived investigation into fraud in the May 2004 polls could trigger new plots, he said.
The court seems to be taking care that its verdict will not unduly anger Mr Estrada's supporters, who attacked the presidential palace in May 2001 after his arrest. Yesterday the court allowed him to be held under house arrest in his mountain resort outside Manila while the anti-graft court reviews his lawyers' motion for reconsideration and the supreme court considers his eventual appeal.
Lawyers said the appeals process could take many months if not years, allowing Mr Estrada to continue staying in his 18-hectare "ranch". Mrs Macapagal is also said to be inclined to grant him a presidential pardon, although Mr Estrada has said he would rather go to prison than accept clemency from her.
Mr Estrada was accused of plunder by raking in about 4 billion pesos (€61m) in kickbacks on government transactions during his 30 months in office. These included payoffs for allowing the illegal numbers game jueteng in some areas of the country, diversion of tobacco tax funds and commissions on stock market purchases of state-run pension funds.
Mr Estrada described the verdict as a "political decision".
However, the former president was found not guilty of a lesser charge of perjury for failing to disclose some properties in his official statement of assets and liabilities.
Mr Estrada's co-accused in the plunder case, his son senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada and lawyer Edward Serapio, were found not guilty.
Hundreds of Mr Estrada's supporters gathered for a protest march but were prevented from approaching the court.
Mr Estrada's son warned of more protests. He said: "The people will receive this with moral outrage and disgust. The time of reckoning will come."