Convicts in Vhong Navarro case jailed

Vhong Navarro, Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee. Images from FACEBOOK/INQUIRER FILES

Model Deniece Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee and others convicted for the serious illegal detention of actor and TV host Vhong Navarro have now been committed to different jails in Metro Manila.

Cornejo was turned over to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City and her fellow convict Simeon Raz was brought to the Reception and Diagnostic Center of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

But according to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., the bureau has yet to receive a commitment order for Lee, who surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation late Thursday.

“Since we are no longer allowed to accept any more PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) at the NBP and with the ongoing decongestion program being implemented, I have ordered acting NBP superintendent, Corrections Chief Inspector Roger Boncales, to determine where they will be committed, just like any other newly committed PDLs,” Catapang said.

According to BuCor, the new PDLs will quarantine for five days without visiting privileges, to be followed by a 55-day process of diagnostic procedures, which include medical, sociological, psychological, educational and classification.

Detention

Raz, Cornejo, Lee and businessman Ferdinand Guerrero were all sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or 40 years in prison, by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court last Thursday for the serious illegal detention for ransom of Navarro in 2014.

Navarro accused the camp of Lee of forcefully detaining him in Cornejo’s condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Jan. 22, 2014, and that Lee’s party threatened to kill Navarro if he did not give them P2 million to which Navarro agreed to pay half of the amount.

Cornejo accused Navarro of drugging and raping her while Navarro accused Cornejo’s party of threatening him with firearms and physical abuse.

But in 2022, the Court of Appeals denied the motion filed by Lee to dismiss the serious detention case filed by Navarro, and in 2023 the Supreme Court 3rd Division dismissed the case of rape and acts of lasciviousness filed by Cornejo against Navarro.