Former Philippines president Joseph Estrada made history...

Former Philippines president Joseph Estrada made history as the first Philippine ex-president to be officially accused of having used his position to illegally enrich himself. Under the country's law, this crime of plunder carries a maximum sentence of death. Estrada, his son and several accomplices were arraigned at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
During his presidency, Estrada was a tireless supporter of capital punishment. He once boasted that one of the highlights of his administration was the country's first execution in 22 years - of a man accused of rape.
Estrada only stopped the executions late in 2000 when it seemed that the impeachment trial against him would result in his being charged with plunder.
The administration which replaced Estrada's has said it will not execute any convicts. However, it is still up to Congress to repeal capital punishment. Should Estrada be sentenced to death, he will join 1,720 convicts on death row. Many of them face execution for rape.
Alex Magno, a political analyst, said it was hard to predict if the country would actually put a former president to death. "There's no basis to call it either way," he said. But he pointed out that "Estrada's arrest already broke tradition, and that removes any hindrance to conviction".It is more likely that Estrada's trial will drag on. If it lasts six years, when he turns 70, he can no longer face the death penalty.