Cornejo, Lee file plea to block arrest

By: 11 years ago

Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of model Deniece Cornejo and businessman Cedric Lee on Friday filed a motion to block the pending warrant of arrest against the two over the alleged mauling of actor Vhong Navarro, a radio report said.

The report quoted lawyer Howard Calleja as saying they filed a motion for judicial determination of probable cause on Friday before the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 271.

The motion seeks to block a warrant of arrest and stop any hearings by the RTC after the Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to file illegal detention charges against Cornejo, Lee and several others for the mauling of Navarro.

But the court refused to receive the plea after both failed to agree on a date to hear the motion, the report said.

Calleja was quoted as saying they would fine-tune the motion and refile it this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the warrant is expected to be released this afternoon or next week, the report said.

On Thursday, the DOJ filed before the Taguig Regional Trial Court serious illegal detention charges against Lee, Cornejo, Cedric’s sister Bernice, Simeon Raz, Jose Paolo Gregorio Calma, Ferdinand Guerrero and Sajed “Jed” Fernandez Abuhijleh.

No bail was recommended for their temporary liberty.

The DOJ also dropped Cornejo’s rape charges against Navarro.