FORMER model Deniece Cornejo is set to be released from detention following a September 25 order from the Court of Appeals directing her immediate release, unless there exists another lawful basis to keep her confined.
The appellate court’s directive covers not only Cornejo but also her co‑accused — businessman Cedric Lee, Simeon Palma Raz Jr., and Ferdinand Guerrero — who were all convicted of serious illegal detention in the case filed by television host Vhong Navarro. The order has been transmitted to the Director General of the Bureau of Corrections at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and to the Superintendent of the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
Cornejo’s former legal counsel Atty. Ferdinand Topacio shared a copy of the release order publicly over the weekend, remarking that “justice has been done.
The wheels of justice grind slowly, but it grinds exceedingly fine.” Topacio noted that while he had withdrawn from representing Cornejo due to differences with other members of her legal team, he had consistently maintained her position that she was a victim of assault. He had stepped down as counsel in 2022, citing irreconcilable disagreements over the strategy and direction of the case.
The legal saga stretches back to January 2014, when Navarro went to Cornejo’s condominium unit in Taguig and was subsequently restrained and assaulted by Lee and his associates. Navarro filed a complaint for serious illegal detention, while Cornejo in turn accused him of rape and acts of lasciviousness. The Department of Justice initially dismissed the rape complaint for lack of probable cause; the Court of Appeals later reversed that finding in 2022, only to be overturned by the Supreme Court in February 2023, which cited inconsistencies in Cornejo’s statements and restored the dismissal of the charges against Navarro. Meanwhile, the separate criminal case for serious illegal detention proceeded, resulting in the conviction of Cornejo, Lee, and their co‑accused.
As of this writing, the exact date and time of the group’s actual release have not been officially announced. Authorities are expected to coordinate the turnover of custody and ensure that all legal requirements are met before the four are allowed to leave their respective detention facilities.
metrosundaily
