Cedric Lee now in New Bilibid Prison after conviction in serious illegal detention case of Vhong Navarro
Businessman Cedric Lee has been transferred to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on the evening of May 3 following his conviction of serious illegal detention for ransom in light of actor Vhong Navarro’s lawsuit.
According to a report by ONE News, Lee was brought to the Muntinlupa facility at around 9 p.m. by authorities from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Quezon City.
His imprisonment came after he voluntarily surrendered himself to the NBI following the decision of the Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 153 to convict him, model Deniece Cornejo, and their cohorts Simeon Raz and Ferdinand Guerrero of serious illegal detention.
"Mas minabuti ko na sumurrender at magpa-detain muna pending our appeal para mas peaceful kami at mas makakapag-plano kami ng mabuti," Lee told GMA's Saksi.
While he was under the custody of the NBI on May 3, he experienced high blood pressure during his pre-detention procedure. This led the agency to put him in a more detailed physical examination to monitor his health.
"Kumuha kami ng vital signs kay Cedric Lee, and the latest vital signs is hypertensive at 180/100 mmHg. Tachycardic, mabilis ang tibok ng puso, 107 beats per minute," said NBI Medico Legal Officer Dr. Joseph Cruz.
"Medyo mataas, mataas talaga siya definitely, pero manageable natin," he added.
Despite the conviction, Lee believes that the outcome may still change, stressing that there was no illegal detention that occurred against Navarro.
"The most, nagkasakitan, nagkabugbugan dahil nang-rape siya. Hindi naman dapat masentensiyahan ng life imprisonment," he said.
Lee is joined by fellow confict Raz at the NBP while Cornejo was admitted to the Reception and Diagnostic Centers of the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong.
Guerrero remains at large, but a warrant for his arrest has now been issued.
The four of them were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or 40 years of imprisonment and were ordered to pay Navarro P100,000 in civil indemnity, P100,000 in moral damages, and P100,000 in exemplary damages.
Their legal battle with the It's Showtime host started back in January 2014, when Cornejo accused Navarro of raping her in her condo unit.
Reacting to the court's decision, the actor expressed his gratitude to several entities for their support as well as the Taguig court for giving him justice, which he said he has long prayed for.