Push Admin

CA denies Vhong Navarro's bid to reverse acquittal of accused in coercion case

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Court of Appeals has denied TV host-comedian Vhong Navarro&#x27;s bid to reverse the acquittal of an accused in the grave coercion case he filed against former model Deniece Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee, and others. </p><p>A Taguig Regional Trial Court had earlier acquitted Jed Fernandez, but the CA refused to reverse the decision.</p><p>The CA said a judgment of acquittal is not appealable and Navarro has no legal standing to file the petition for certiorari because he did not get the consent and authority of the Office of the Solicitor General, which represents the state, the complainant in a criminal case.</p><p>Conspiracy to commit grave coercion was not established between Fernandez, who was acquitted, with Cornejo and Lee, who were convicted, it said. </p><p>The appeals court also denied Navarro&#x27;s claim that there was a mistrial and his right to due process was denied.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/27/18/cedric-lee-deniece-cornejo-guilty-of-grave-coercion-for-mauling-vhong-navarro">Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo guilty of grave coercion for mauling Vhong Navarro</a></li></ul><p>Navarro had filed the grave coercion complaint because he was allegedly forced, after being assaulted and detained in Cornejo&#x27;s condominium unit, to admit to attempting to rape Cornejo by signing in a police blotter at the Southern Police District Station station, where he was brought by the accused after his assault and detention.</p><p>On Wednesday, it was announced that the National Bureau of Investigation was set to transfer Navarro to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. </p><p>This came after a Taguig court denied the host&#x27;s motion to remain in the NBI detention center over the non-bailable case of rape filed by Cornejo — a charge he has repeatedly denied. </p><p>Last August, the CA ordered the filing of rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against Navarro over a 2014 incident involving Cornejo.</p><p>This is despite findings of the Department of Justice that the allegations were inconsistent and incredible.</p><p>CCTV footage showed Navarro was in Cornejo&#x27;s condo unit for less than a minute on Jan. 22, 2014. This is the same day Lee and his companions mauled Navarro and supposedly forced him to confess to raping Cornejo before a police station.</p><p>The CCTV footage was not discussed in the CA ruling rejecting Navarro’s bid to stop the filing of rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against him.</p><p>The same CA Division, in July, overturned resolutions of the DOJ and Taguig prosecutors which previously junked Cornejo&#x27;s rape allegations.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/16/22/nbi-to-transfer-vhong-navarro-to-camp-bagong-diwa">NBI to transfer Vhong Navarro to Camp Bagong Diwa</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/01/22/ca-orders-filing-of-rape-acts-of-lasciviousness-charges-vs-vhong-navarro">CA orders filing of rape, acts of lasciviousness charges vs Vhong Navarro</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/16/22/missing-someone-showtime-hosts-in-tears-on-anniv">&#x27;Para sa taong miss na miss natin&#x27;: &#x27;Showtime&#x27; hosts in tears over song dedication on anniv episode</a></li></ul><div><strong>—with a report from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w3N3fMMc5EY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A Taguig Regional Trial Court had earlier acquitted Jed Fernandez, but the CA refused to reverse the decision.