Manila, Bulletin -- A face-off between television host
and comedian Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro and model Deniece Cornejo is
expected shortly as the Department of Justice is set to consolidate
their respective charge and counter charge.
“We will consolidate the cases to expedite the PI (preliminary investigation) and also to avoid conflicting findings,” Prosecutor General Claro Arellano said yesterday.
Arellano, head of DOJ’s prosecutorial arm, said he will issue today an office order for this purpose.
The consolidation means Navarro’s complaint and Cornejo’s counter-charge will be resolved by the all-female PI panel composed of Assistant State Prosecutors Olivia Torrevillas, Hazel Decena-Valdez and Marie Elvira Herrera in the DOJ.
The criminal cases emanate from the mauling of comedian and television host Vhong Navarro last Jan.22.
Navarro filed last week against Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee and six others charges of serious illegal detention – a non-bailable offense – serious physical injuries, grave threats, grave coercion, unlawful arrest and blackmail.
Apart from Lee and Cornejo, the other respondents in the case are Lee’s sister Bernice, a certain Ferdinand Guerrero and Zimmer Rance, an alias Mike and two other unidentified men.
They will be summoned to appear before the panel and answer the charges.
Cornejo, through lawyer Howard Calleja, then filed a counter-charge of rape against Navarro before the Taguig City prosecutor’s office.
The NBI had said the evidence -- most notably, the CCTV footage from the condominium where the incident took place -- would support the version of Navarro, making Cornejo’s rape claim “highly improbable.”
The DOJ had placed Lee, Cornejo and their companions under the lookout bulletin order of the Bureau of Immigration.
But a lookout bulletin order would not prevent Lee and Cornejo from leaving the country.
Only a hold departure order or watchlist order issued by a trial court can prevent accused in criminal cases from boarding international flights from the airports.
The DOJ used to have power to issue HDO or LBO, but this was suspended by a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court over a case that remained pending since 2011.
NBI probers earlier found consistency in Navarro’s statement and the CCTV footage submitted by security office of the Forbeswood Heights Condominium (Tower 2) where the incident took place.
