Estrada’s son laughs off charges of gambling-payoff

The young Estrada left for the United States before the opening on Thursday by the Senate of the impeachment trial of his father, but said he would return to the country on December 14.

Jinggoy Estrada burst into laughter when asked to comment on testimony given by a witness of the prosecution on Friday that he issued a personal cheque, alleged to form part of his collection of payoffs from gambling lords for his father.

“I used to own a personal cheque that I didn’t use,” he said.

The witness, Emma Lim, testified on Friday that she collected bundles of cash and cheques alleged to come from illegal gambling syndicates running underground lotteries called jueteng

for the Philippine President.

She said she collected the funds from 1998 to this year from three people, including Jinggoy Estrada.

Lim was the first witness to give testimony intended to establish links between the Philippine leader and the jueteng

lords.

Estrada has denied corruption and bribery charges in the trial before the Senate, which will end with his removal from office if he is convicted.

Lim identified herself as an employee of provincial governor Luis Singson, a former presidential ally who has accused Estrada of taking over 400 million pesos ($8.0 million) in bribes from jueteng syndicates.

Jinggoy Estrada said the prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of his father knew about his trip to the United States.

“This trip to the US has long been scheduled,” he said, as he denied claims by the Opposition that he Left for the United States before the impeachment trial began to escape the heat.

A vote by two-thirds of the Senate, which has 22 members, is required to convict and remove Estrada from office, in which event vice-President Gl.