Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee, others found guilty of serious illegal detention in case filed by Vhong Navarro
A Taguig court has found businessman Cedric Lee, model Deniece Cornejo, and two others guilty of serious illegal detention for ransom in light of actor Vhong Navarro’s lawsuit.
GMA News reported on Thursday, May 2 that the Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 153 sentenced Lee, Cornejo, as well as Ferdinand Guerrero and Simeon Raz to reclusion perpetua. It immediately cancelled their bail bond.
The RTC committed Raz and Cornejo immediately, while it issued a warrant of arrest against Lee and Guerrero.
The court also ordered them to pay Navarro P100,000 in civil indemnity, P100,000 in moral damages, and P100,000 in exemplary damages, according to GMA News. These also have an interest rate of 6% per annum from the finality of the judgment until fully paid.
In January 2014, Cornejo accused Navarro of raping her in her condo unit. She filed rape and acts of lasciviousness complaints against him.
This prompted Lee’s group to beat him up.
Navarro then filed a serious illegal detention case against them.
In 2018 and 2020, the Department of Justice affirmed the dismissal of Cornejo’s complaints against Navarro and in July 2022, the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the dismissal.
Navarro surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation in September of that year and in November, was transferred to Taguig City Jail.
In December, Navarro posted a P1 million bail and in January 2023, was able to return to his hosting duties at It’s Showtime.
In February, the Supreme Court dismissed the rape and acts of lasciviousness cases against Navarro due to lack of probable cause, saying the CA “gravely erred” in its decision.