TWO lawyers representing “concerned citizens,” urged the Sandiganbayan to reread and shed light on the pardon granted to former president Joseph Estrada in his plunder case, as they hope to block his mayoralty bid in 2013.

Lawyers Fernando Perito and Nepthali Aliposa asked the Sandiganbayan Fifth Special Division to interpret the pardon that former president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga province extended to Estrada.

On September 12, 2007, the Sandiganbayan convicted Estrada for the crime of plunder. Weeks after on October 25, Arroyo gave him executive clemency and cleared him of reclusion perpetua.

Perito and Aliposa said that one of the conditions in the pardon is for Estrada “not to seek elective position or office.”

Both lawyers, who represented “for and in behalf as concerned citizens, with the conformity of the public prosecutor,” said that they are interested if Estrada can still seek elected position.

The former president will be running as a mayor of Manila City under the United Nationalist Alliance. His vice mayor is re-electionist Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.

The two lawyers hit Estrada’s political bid as this, they alleged, violates a provision stated in the conditional pardon granted to him.

Quoting the pardon, they said that Estrada “publicly committed to no longer seek any elective position.”

“Clearly, there was a violation of the conditional pardon on the part of the convicted former president Estrada,” the two lawyers rasied.

They said that the pardon deprives Estrada of running for any elective position, adding that it will be worthless if the interpretation of the pardon will favor the former president and San Juan mayor.

The private lawyers said that Estrada can vote “[but] not to be voted upon.”

“The intent of the pardon was to prohibit the convicted felon from running in any elected position or office,” they said.