Court allows Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee to post bail

MANILA, Philippines – The Taguig Regional Trial Court has granted the motions of model Deniece Cornejo and co-accused Cedric Lee and Zimmer Raz to post bail in the illegal detention case filed against them by actor-comedian Vhong Navarro.

In an interview with Rappler, Cornejo’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said the model was happy that she was allowed to post bail of P500,000 ($ 11,314.98). 

“We’re trying to raise the money and, if we have it, we can post the bail soon,” he said.

Topacio also said that once Cornejo gains temporary liberty, she will be going to churches to speak with those who supported her case.

Meanwhile, a report by ABS-CBN quoted Salvador Panelo, Cornejo’s other lawyer, that they got the news after receiving a report from Howard Calleja, Cedric Lee’s lawyer.

“Nakatanggap sila ng mensahe na nagkaroon ng nag-grant ng bail. In fact, pati sila lola of Deniece Cornejo ay pumunta sa court to get a copy of the resolution…. The court has confirmed na mayroon ngang grant ng bail,” Panelo said.

(They have received a message that there was a bail granted. In fact, even Deniece Cornejo’s grandmother went to the court to get a copy of the resolution.)

The same report quoted a statement from Calleja’s office welcoming the good news.

“This is a big step in proving what we have been reiterating from the inception of this case, which is the truth – that our clients are innocent of the charges against them,” the statement read.

The bail announcement is good news for Cornejo after her two rape complaints against Navarro were dismissed by the Department of Justice and the Taguig Prosecutor’s Office in April and July, respectively.

In April, Cornejo, Lee, and 5 others were charged with serious illegal detention and grave coercion. This stemmed from the case filed by Navarro, who alleged he was beaten up by Lee’s company after Cornejo accused him of rape in January. 

Cornejo is currently under the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Meanwhile, in a report by Pep, Navarro’s lawyer Alma Mallonga issued a statement, saying they were surprised by the court’s decision.

“We are shocked by the news that the court has granted bail. We are just now securing a copy of the resolution. We do not know why bail was granted.”

“We want to know the reasons adduced by the court for this purpose. We will question the resolution, we will pursue all the remedies that are available to rectify the situation.”

“A crime has been committed. We are determined, now more than ever, to see that justice is done and that the accused are put to jail.” – Rappler.com