Court rejects plea by Estrada, son

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, JUNE 9. An anti-corruption court today rejected an application from the former Philippine President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, and his son, to be placed under house arrest.

The ruling by the court comes as a major setback for Mr. Estrada who wants to be placed under house arrest as opposed to remaining in a detention centre. Reports from Manila said the police were preparing to take Mr. Estrada back to his detention centre from a hospital. where he and his son were staying for medical check- ups. ``A preventive detainee cannot be granted special treatment, over and above other preventive detainees, cannot be given house arrest simply because he is a former President,'' the court said in its ruling.

The ham-handed arrest of Mr. Estrada by the Government had led to massive riot in Manila.

Now, however, the Arroyo Government could legitimately argue that it was the court which had denied Mr. Estrada's petition and the executive had nothing to do with the issue.

The court stated that allowing Mr. Estrada and his son to be held in their house in an upmarket Manila locality would be ``inimical to the national interest, destroy the tranquillity of the neighbourhood (and constitute) an invitation to greater disturbance''.

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Section  : International
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