Estrada may dodge death penalty

Estrada is charged with amassing almost $80 million during his 31 months in office

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- Deposed Philippine president Joseph Estrada may dodge the death penalty even if he is convicted for plunder, one of four criminal charges he is facing before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.

Fifteen of 24 senators have filed a Senate Bill repealing the death penalty law, amid a political crisis caused by Estrada.

Estrada suspended his legal team in late February and rejected court-appointed lawyers to defend him, saying he could no longer get a fair trial and that he faces "inevitable death."

Estrada supporters started mass actions on Wednesday, towards the anniversary of a failed but violent May 1 march that briefly threatened President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's hold on power.

They raised effigies of kangaroos in front of the Supreme Court, saying Estrada was being tried before a "kangaroo court."

"If the bill is passed, it will have a retroactive effect favoring the accused," University of the

Philippines law professor Harry Roque told CNN.

Implications

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Three of the bill's proponents in the opposition had earlier sought a "parliamentary solution" to stem the political crisis -- senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Blas Ople, and Edgardo Angara.

But Pimentel said that although the bill would be passed "sooner than later," it was not meant to quell possible political unrest.

"I have been against the death penalty long before Estrada became president," Pimentel told CNN.

"The bill is omnibus in scope," Pimentel added, meaning that all those previously convicted for heinous crimes would get a commuted sentence.

Senate Bill 2060 proposes a life sentence of 30 years without parole, instead of the death penalty. The President of the Philippines, however, may grant reprieve or commute the life sentence.

The bill's proponents contend that "the death penalty has not proven to be a deterrent of crime."

Protests

Various anti-crime groups are protesting against the bill, calling the move politically motivated.

"The bill was never mentioned as a priority bill by the Arroyo administration," New Patriotic Alliance spokesman Teodoro Casino told CNN.

"The senators may be trying to preempt the verdict of the Sandiganbayan [on Estrada's plunder case]," Casino added.

Estrada is accused of amassing up to 4 billion pesos ($78 million) in ill-acquired wealth during his 31 months in office.

He also faces two perjury charges for allegedly cheating on his assets statements in 1998 and 1999, and is accused of illegally using an alias to hide millions in a dummy account.

Estrada's court hearings resume Friday, after a two-week recess following the suspension of his legal team.

The Philippine National Police is prepared to deploy up to 3,000 anti-riot police Friday when Estrada's trial hearings resume at the Sandiganbayan.

Estrada was ousted from power on January 20 last year, four days after the Senate tribunal in his impeachment trial voted to suppress bank evidence against him, spurring massive protests that led to a military-backed revolt.