MANILA, Philippines - Television host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro submitted new evidence before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office and asked that his perjury complaint against businessman Cedric Lee be reopened, his lawyer Alma Mallonga told reporters Thursday.
According to Mallonga, Navarro made the manifestation last August 5 as he also asked the Manila Prosecutor’s Office to accept as new evidence a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage taken at Ritz Tower, another condominium near the Forbeswood condominium where the actor was allegedly mauled by Lee and several others an hour before the incident happened last January 22.
“Pinareopen namin yung perjury case ni Vhong because of new evidence. We discovered a CCTV video footage gathered not from Forbeswood but from Ritz (Tower) where all the accused are seen meeting before the incident in Forbeswood which lends credence that this thing was planned and not spontaneous,” said Mallonga.
“What we submitted in the perjury case is evidence showing that an hour or so before that incident in Forbeswood, all the accused had already gathered in Ritz which is a short distance away from Forbeswood,” she added.
Navarro’s perjury complaint was already submitted for resolution but Mallonga said they requested that it be reopened in the light of the newly discovered evidence. The CCTV footages were turned over by the National Bureau of Investigation to Navarro’s lawyers only last July 7.
Meanwhile, Navarro once again appeared yesterday before the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 73 to participate in another judicial dispute resolution (JDR) session for his complaint of grave coercion filed against Lee and model Deniece Cornejo.
“I didn’t expect JDR to take this long. But we are following the process. We will abide with court directives,” said Mallonga.
Mallonga said also summoned to attend the JDR session was accused Jed Fernandez who did not appear.
“How can we talk when he (Fernandez) is not even here,” said Mallonga.
The JDR sessions are being presided by Taguig MTC Branch 74 Judge Bernard Bernal.
Mallonga earlier said that although Vhong would appear during the JDR sessions, he remains opposed to the idea of a settlement in the case.
“The proceedings in the JDR is confidential. Ang purpose ng JDR under the law ay tignan kung anong aspeto ng kaso ang pwedeng may pagkakaintindihan. Vhong has been consistent from the very beginning. He is not open to settlement but he respects the process and he respects the law,” Mallonga said.
The Taguig MTC Branch 74 earlier said Navarro must attend the mediation hearings to signify his refusal to enter into a settlement with the respondents. The next JDR session will be on October 2.
It would be recalled that Navarro filed the grave coercion case against Cornejo, businessman Lee and six others before the court in connection with the serious illegal detention case he had also filed against them.
Also facing the charge of grave coercion are Cedric’s sister Bernice Lee, Raz, Jose Paulo “JP” Gregorio Calma, Ferdinand Guerrero and Jed Fernandez. Calma left the country last April 10.
Cornejo and Bernice earlier pleaded not guilty to the grave coercion charge while Fernandez was ordered arrested by the court for failing to show up for his arraignment. The court meanwhile entered not guilty pleas for the grave coercion charge for Cedric and Raz during their arraignment.
Mallonga said Navarro is bent on pursuing the grave coercion case against Cornejo, Cedric and the other accused. Mallonga said Navarro’s lawyers are also looking at the legal implications of the mediation of the grave coercion case on the serious illegal detention case filed by the actor against the same accused before the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 271.
Cornejo, Cedric and the other accused were slapped by Navarro with grave coercion charges in connection with his mauling on January 22 inside Cornejo’s condominium unit at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Cornejo, Lee and Raz are now all detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology dormitories inside the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.